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OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 
OF LONG AGO 



THE 

LITTLE COUSINS OF LONG AGO 
SERIES 

Each volume illustrated with full page plates 
in tints. 

Cloth , 12 mo, with decorative cover. 

Per volume , 60 cents 

» > S 9 < - 

Our Little Roman Cousin of Long Ago 
By Julia Darrow Cowles 

IN PREPARATION 

Our Little Athenian Cousin of Long Ago 
Our Little Spartan Cousin of Long Ago 
Our Little Viking Cousin of Long Ago 

L. C. PAGE & COMPANY 
53 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. 































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The Little Cousins of Long Ago Series 


OUR LITTLE 
ROMAN COUSIN 
OF LONG AGO 

Being the Story of Marcus, 
A Boy of Rome 


JULIA DARROW COWLES 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

JOHN GOSS 


kifssiiii© 


BOSTON 

L. C. PAGE & COMPANY 
MDCCCCXIII 




W 






















Copyright , 1913, 

By L. C. Page & Company 

(incorporated) 

All rights reserved 


First Impression, February, 1913 



©CI.A343965 
- . 


TO MY FIRST PRINCIPAL 

SETTY A ‘DUTTOZM 

OF THE 

KENTUCKY SCHOOL, CLEVELAND, OHIO, 
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED 
WITH PLEASANT MEMORIES. 


✓ 



Publishers' Explanatory Note of the Reasons 
for Issuing the New Series 

LITTLE COUSINS OF LONG AGO 


The publication of “ The Little Cousin Se¬ 
ries ” has met with a most favorable reception, 
as the volumes are not only interesting to chil¬ 
dren as story books but have been found by 
parents and educators to be of unquestionable 
value in giving the child a thorough, accurate 
knowledge of the life and customs of the present 
day, as well as the history and general charac¬ 
teristics, of countries covered by the series. 

The publishers have consequently reached 
the conclusion that a companion series giving 
the every-day child life of ancient times will 



viii Publishers' Explanatory Note — Continued 


meet with similar approval, and like the other 
series will be welcomed by the children as well 
as by their elders. 

“ OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN OF LONG 

AGO ” is the initial volume of this new series, 
which the publishers promise will be accurate 
both historically and in the description of every¬ 
day life of the time, as well as interesting to the 
child. The period chosen for the present vol¬ 
ume is the most dramatic in all Roman history, 
namely, the final period of the Republic, and 
such famous personages as Cicero, Catiline, 
Caesar and Pompey figure prominently in its 
pages. 

Numerous other volumes are in preparation; 
and “ The Little Cousins of Long Ago,” will 
eventually include all the principal countries 
and races of the Ancient World. 



Preface 


The story of Marcus is laid during the clo¬ 
sing days of the Roman Republic, when con¬ 
servative members of the nobility still held to 
the sturdy habits and to the simplicity of wor¬ 
ship of earlier times. Every incident of the 
story has an authentic basis in Roman history 
and custom. 

If the story serves, in later years, to make the 
important study of Roman history more vital 
and real to its readers, the purpose of its author 
will have been accomplished. 

Acknowledgment is hereby made to the au¬ 
thors of the following books, for the founda¬ 
tion upon which the story of Marcus rests: 
“ Private Life of The Romans,” by Harold 
Whetstone Johnston; “Private Life of The 

ix 



X 


PREFACE 


Romans,” by Harriet Waters Preston and Lou¬ 
ise P. Dodge; “Roman Education,” by A. S. 
Wilkins, Litt. D.; “ Education of Children At 
Rome,” by George Clarke, Ph. D.; “ Story of 
The Roman People,” by Eva March Tappan; 
“ City of The Seven Hills,” by Caroline H. 
Harding, A. B., and Samuel B. Harding, 
Ph. D.; “ Social Life At Rome,” by W. Warde 
Fowler, M.A. 




Contents 


CHAPTER page 



Publishers’ Note 

vii 


Preface. 

ix 


Pronunciation of Proper Names xiv 

I. 

Going to School 

1 

II. 

Lessons. 

9 

III. 

Marcus’ Home .... 

15 

IV. 

At Dinner. 

22 

V. 

The Vestal Offering 

3 i 

VI. 

A Roman Girl .... 

37 

VII. 

The Funeral Procession 

45 

VIII. 

The Gift of a Book 

50 

IX. 

In the Senate . . j . 

56 

X. 

On the Farm .... 

64 

XI. 

The Return to Rome . 

73 

XII. 

On the Appian Way 

78 

XIII. 

Marcus Enters Grammar School 84 

XIV. 

The Festival of Violets 

9 i 

XV. 

Marcus, the Torch - bearer 

96 

XVI. 

The Chariot Race . 

100 

XVII. 

The Victorious General 

105 

XVIII. 

Marcus, the Man . 

. ii 3 







s 


/ 





























* 


« 





















List of Ill ustrations 


Marcus. Frontispiece 

“ ‘ That is a splendid story, Mother,’ 

said Terentia”.43 

“ Followed by the family, the slaves of 

HIS HOUSEHOLD, AND FRIENDS ” . . 49 

“ The last lap of the race was being 

DRIVEN ”.103 1/ 

“ There followed troops of captives that 

PoMPEY HAD TAKEN IN HIS BATTLES ” . 107 V 

“ Marcus stood with flushed face and 

SPARKLING EYES, READY TO BE CLOTHED 
WITH THE TOGA” . .... . . . . II4 



Pronunciation of Proper Names 


An-to'ni-us 
Ap'pi-an Way 
Ap'pi-us Clau'di-us 
Au'lus 

Ca'i-us Mu'ci-us 
(Ka'yus) 
Ca-mil'lus 
Campus Mar'tius 
Carthage 
Cat'i-line 
Cig'e-ro 
Cin'cin-na'tus 
Circus Max'i-mus 
Cloe'li-a 
Cor-ne'li-a 
Cras'sus 
Cur'ti-an 
Cur'ti-us 
Dru'sus 
E'gypt _ 

Fa-le'ri-i 

Faus'tus 

Fo'rum 

Ga'i-a 

Ga'i-us 


Glau'con 

Homer 

I-ta'li-ans 

Lars Por’se-na 

Li'ber 

Li'vi-a 

Lu'ci-us 

Lu-cillus 

Mar'cus 

Med'i-ter-ra'ne-an 

O'dys-sey 

Per'se-us 

Pom'pey 

Quin'tus 

Re'mus 

Rom'u-lus 

Sgaev'o-la 

Sgip'i-o 

Ter-en'ti-a 

Ti'ber 

Ti'tus 

Tro'jan 

Tul'li-us 

Ves'ta 


xiv 



Our Little Roman Cousin 
of Long Ago 


CHAPTER I 

GOING TO SCHOOL 

“Come, Marcus; come, Lucius; no more 
sleep this morning, or the cocks will be crow¬ 
ing before you are in school.” 

Marcus turned, and bounded quickly from 
his couch to the floor. 

“ I wish the cocks did not crow so early in 
the morning,” yawned Lucius, sleepily. 

“ Come, come,” said his mother, “ a boy that 
is old enough to go to school, is old enough to 
waken early.” 

Lucius sat up quickly. The great regret of 
X 



2 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


Lucius’ life was that he had not been born on 
the same day as his brother Marcus, instead of 
six years afterward. Marcus could do so many 
fine things that he could not. But this year he 
had entered the school to which Marcus went, 
and he was very proud of the fact. 

Slipping over the edge of the high couch 
upon which he had been sleeping, Lucius 
dropped to his feet with a thud. Marcus never 
used the stool — which stood beside each high 
Roman bed — and Lucius did not intend to 
either, now that he was big enough to go to 
school. 

The two boys were quickly dressed, for they 
had only to slip into their tunics, which were 
like extra long sweaters without sleeves. 

They were soon in the atrium, or main living- 
room, of the home. There they found Glau- 
con, the tall Greek slave who always accom¬ 
panied them upon the street. 

“ Be sure, Marcus, to stop at the little bake- 



GOING TO SCHOOL 


3 


shop and buy some cakes for your breakfast,” 
said Gaia, their mother, as they started off. 

It was still dark, and the boys carried lan¬ 
terns to light them along the way. 

All up and down the streets of Rome, bob¬ 
bing, sputtering little lights showed that many 
other boys were on their way to school. 

“ Good, here is Tullius! ” cried Marcus, as 
he met, at a corner, the boy friend whom he 
liked best of all. 

Behind Tullius was Aulus, the slave, or peda¬ 
gogue, who always accompanied him upon the 
streets, as Glaucon did Marcus. 

The three boys went on together and the two 
slaves followed. When they reached the bake- 
shop the boys bought a light breakfast, to eat 
at school. 

Glaucon and Aulus were glad to be together. 
Although slaves, they were both educated men 
who had once been free citizens of Greece. 

After a battle with the Greeks, Glaucon and 



4 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


Aulus were taken captive and brought to Rome. 
There they were sold in the slave market of 
the city. 

Gaius, the father of Marcus and Lucius, paid 
a large sum of money for Glaucon, for he 
learned that he was an educated man, and a 
man of good character. Quintus, the father of 
Tullius, bought Aulus for the same reason. 

Every Roman boy of good birth had a special 
slave who went with him to and from school, 
and to all public places of the city. If well 
educated, this slave also helped him with his 
lessons outside of school. For this reason he 
was called the boy’s pedagogue. 

The pedagogue held a very important place 
in a Roman household. Marcus and Lucius 
were fond of Glaucon, and Tullius was fond, 
too, of Aulus. 

As the boys hurried along the streets with 
their lanterns, Marcus saw a big notice posted 
upon the wall of a house. 



GOING TO SCHOOL 


5 


He held up his lantern to read. 

“ It is a notice of the chariot races that are 
to be held in the Circus Maximus,” he said. 
“ There will be six drivers, and each will drive 
four horses. It will be a fine race.” 

Tullius was now reading the notice, too. 
“ One of the drivers has won more than two 
thousand victories! ” he exclaimed. “ My, 
what a lot! ” 

“ I wish I could see a chariot race,” said Lu¬ 
cius. “ You have seen more than one, haven’t 
you, Marcus?” 

“ Yes,” answered Marcus, “ and you will see 
one some of these days, too.” 

“ We had better hurry on,” cried Tullius 
suddenly, “ or we shall be late for school.” 

“ And the master may flog us,” said Lucius. 

“ But, even at that,” said Marcus laughingly, 
“ we do not have so hard a master as the school 
boys of Falerii.” 

“Is it a story, Marcus? Oh, do tell it to 



6 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


us,” begged Lucius, for Marcus was a famous 
story-teller among the boys. 

“ Well,” said Marcus, as they started on, 
“ there was a great battle many, many years ago 
between the Romans and the Etruscans. The 
Romans had taken many towns belonging to 
the Etruscans, but the town of Falerii stood 
upon a high cliff with great ravines on each 
side. 

“ Camillus was the general in charge of the 
Roman army. His soldiers had gone into camp 
and were wondering day after day how they 
ever were to conquer a city built upon such a 
site as that. 

“ But one morning, while the officers were 
planning and the soldiers were talking, they 
saw a strange company making its way down 
the cliff and straight to the door of Camillus’ 
tent. The company was made up of a group 
of boys with one man apparently in charge of 
them. 



GOING TO SCHOOL 


7 


“ When Camillus came out to greet them, 
the man stated that he was a schoolmaster in 
Falerii, and that the boys were his pupils. 

“ ‘ They are sons of the foremost men of the 
town,’ he said, ‘ and I have come to deliver 
them into your hands. For you may be sure,’ 
he added, ‘ that when their fathers learn what 
has become of these boys, they will surrender 
their city to you, rather than let their sons be 
carried away as slaves.’ ” 

“Oh, what a horrible schoolmaster!” ex¬ 
claimed Lucius. 

“Yes,” said Marcus, “he thought that he 
would be given a great prize for his act. But 
Camillus was a true Roman general, and he 
would not stoop to anything so low as that. 

“ ‘ Here,’ he cried, turning to a soldier who 
stood near, ‘ tie this traitor’s hands behind his 
back, and give every boy a rod.’ Then, turning 
to the frightened boys, he said, ‘ Take the rods 
and drive him back to your city, and tell your 



8 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


fathers that I do not fight with boys. If I can¬ 
not win bravely, I will not win at all.’ 

“ The boys did as Camillus told them, and 
when the men of Falerii heard Camillus’ mes¬ 
sage they said, ‘ We are willing to surrender 
to so just a man as that.’ And they became 
subjects of Rome.” 

“ That is a fine story, Marcus,” said Tullius. 
“ I wish I had as good a memory as you. But 
here we are at school, and just in time, at that.” 




CHAPTER II 


LESSONS 

“ Are you sure my tablet and stylus are in 
the box, Glaucon?” asked Marcus, as they 
reached the school. 

“ Yes,” answered Glaucon, “ and your reck¬ 
oning stones, too,” and he handed to Marcus 
the box which he had been carrying. 

Tullius took his box from Aulus, and the 
three boys entered the open building which was 
their school. 

This building, which was called a pergula, 
had only a roof resting upon pillars, with no 
side walls. The boys had no books, for this 
was nearly two thousand years ago, and a 
printed book had never been seen. 

“ I understand that Faustus, who lives next 

door, has complained of the noise of our school, 
9 


10 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


and says that we waken him too early in the 
morning,” said Tullius to Marcus. 

“ If he would keep earlier hours at night, he 
would not mind wakening early in the morn¬ 
ing,” replied Marcus with a laugh. 

“ But cock-crowing is pretty early in the 
morning,” exclaimed Lucius with a shake of 
his head, as he set down the lantern which he 
had carried and tried to make its sputtering 
wick burn more brightly. 

u If we lived in a northern city,” said the 
master, who had heard Lucius’ remark, “ we 
should not need to rise so early, for then we 
could play or work all through the day. But 
here in Rome, where it is so hot that every one 
must rest through the middle of the day, we 
should not have time to learn much if we did 
not get to school before daylight.” 

Marcus and Tullius, who were thirteen, took 
their places with the older boys. Lucius, .who 
was only seven, sat with the beginners, for this 



LESSONS 


11 


was the age at which the boys of Rome entered 
school. 

There were no desks in the room. The 
teacher, or master, sat in a chair upon a raised 
platform. Each of the boys had a bench, with 
a stool for his feet so that his knees could be 
used for a desk. 

After all were in their places, the master left 
his chair and, going from one pupil to another, 
wrote a maxim at the top of each boy’s tab¬ 
let. 

The tablet was not a block of paper, for no 
one had heard of paper in those days. It was 
very much like a slate, with a light wooden 
frame, but the part inside the frame was cov¬ 
ered with smooth wax. 

Writing was done by cutting letters in the 
wax surface with a stylus. The stylus was long 
and slender in shape, pointed at one end and 
flat at the other. The writing was done with 
the pointed end. When a mistake was made, 




12 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


or a lesson was to be erased, the wax was rubbed 
smooth with the flat end. 

As they had no books, the boys studied both 
reading and writing from their tablets. 

“ Marcus, the son of Gaius, may read his 
maxim,” called the master, when all the copies 
had been written. 

Marcus arose and read, speaking distinctly 
and carefully. 

“ Very good,” said the master. “ Marcus 
will be able to speak before the Senate when 
he is a man.” 

Marcus flushed with pleasure, for no greater 
praise than this could be given him. He, like 
every Roman boy of good birth, hoped that 
some day he might occupy a seat in the Senate, 
and so he was careful to speak correctly and 
distinctly at all times. 

After the reading lesson was finished, the 
pupils made many copies of the maxim upon 
their tablets. The form of the letters which 



LESSONS 


13 


these Roman boys used, so long ago, was the 
same as our English letters, but the language 
used was Latin. 

Before the lessons in reading and writing 
were finished, the sun arose, and the sputtering 
lights of the lanterns were put out. 

Then came recess, and the boys played 
games, and ate the breakfasts that they had 
brought with them. 

After recess the pupils took their reckoning 
stones from their boxes, ready for the lesson 
in arithmetic. This was a hard study for a 
Roman boy, because of the Roman numbers 
which were used. 

You will see some of the Roman numbers at 
the beginning of the chapters of this book, and 
you probably know that V means five, X means 
ten, L means fifty, and C means one hundred. 
In order to write the number one hundred and 
twenty-four, instead of writing 124, Marcus 
had to write CXXIV. Now, if you will try to 



14 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


subtract thirty-seven — which is XXXVII — 
from CXXIV, you will begin to see why Ro¬ 
man arithmetic was such a hard study. 

The pupils began the study of arithmetic by 
using the reckoning stones. These were smooth 
stones which were counted up to the number 
given by the master. This number was then 
divided by separating the stones into groups; 
or it was added to by placing other stones with 
the number first given. 

As the boys grew older, they learned to solve 
quite hard problems by mental arithmetic. 
They also had a curious way of using their 
fingers to help themselves when figuring. 

“I am glad I do not have to study arith¬ 
metic with my fingers,” said Lucius, on the way 
home from school. “ I cannot understand that, 
at all. But it is great fun to count with the 
reckoning stones.” 



CHAPTER III 


MARCUS’ HOME 

When Marcus came home from school, he 
did not toss his cap into a corner, and then have 
to hunt for it the next time he went out; but 
perhaps this was because he had no cap to toss. 
Roman boys always went bareheaded, although 
the sun was hot in Italy. 

They generally wore shoes when upon the 
street, although their arms and legs were as 
bare as their heads. 

The home of Gaius was a beautiful one, but 
from the street all the houses of Rome looked 
very much alike. The front doors all opened 
directly upon the street, and the yards or gar¬ 
dens were at the back of the houses, and were 
surrounded by high walls. 

As Marcus and Lucius came in from school, 
15 


16 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


they saw a very pretty sight. The atrium, or 
main living-room, was very large, and in the 
centre of the room there was a beautiful foun¬ 
tain. Beside this fountain sat their little sister 
Livia, playing with two of her favorite doves. 

“ How pretty she looks, Lucius! ” said Mar¬ 
cus, and in a moment he had tossed her, doves 
and all, high in the air. 

“ Oh, I am so glad you are here! ” cried 
Livia, hugging Marcus and Lucius in turn with 
her dimpled arms. 

From the atrium, which was separated from 
the other rooms of the house only by pillars and 
curtains, the boys could look out into the gar¬ 
den. This also had a fountain, with graceful 
statues about it, and many sorts of beautiful 
flowers. 

Gaia, their mother, was in the garden, and 
Lucius ran to her, picked a scarlet blossom on 
his way, and when she stooped to kiss him, 
tucked it lovingly in her hair. 




MARCUS’ HOME 


17 


“ Where is Terentia? ” asked Marcus, as he, 
too, came into the garden with Livia. 

“ I am coming,” called Terentia, the sister 
who was between Marcus and Lucius in age. 
“ Mother has been teaching me to spin the wool 
for weaving,” she added, “ and I have tried to 
make my thread as smooth and even as hers.” 

“ And did you succeed? ” asked Marcus. 

“ No, not yet,” answered Terentia, “ but I 
mean to keep on trying.” 

“ That is the way to succeed,” said a hearty 
voice behind them, and the children turned 
quickly, for it was the voice of Gaius, their 
father, who had come in unobserved. 

“ Isn’t it almost time for dinner, Mother?” 
asked Lucius, looking at the shadow which the 
sun-dial cast, in the garden. 

“ Yes,” said Gaia, “I think it will be ready 
very soon.” 

“ That reminds me, children,” said Gaius, 
“ of a curious invention that I saw to-day in 



18 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


the home of Quintus. It was called a water- 
clock, and it marks the time, as the sun-dial 
does, but it is better, because the dial can only 
tell us the time when the sun is shining, while 
this water-clock tells the time on cloudy days, 
and also at night.” 

“ What was it like, Father?” asked Marcus 
with interest. 

“ It consisted,” replied Gaius, “ of a vessel 
filled with water. A scale was marked upon 
the vessel, and the water dripped from a small 
opening, so that just a certain amount could 
escape each hour. The vessel is filled with water 
each morning, and by looking at the scale, at 
the level of the water, one can tell the hour of 
the day. Do you understand it, my son? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Marcus, “ I think that I do. 
It seems quite simple, and yet it is curious, too. 
I must see it the next time I go to visit Tul¬ 
lius.” 

“ I wish the slaves would hasten dinner,” 




MARCUS’ HOME 


19 


said Lucius impatiently, “ for school makes me 
very hungry.” 

“You must learn to be patient, even though 
hungry,” said Gaius, placing his hand upon Lu¬ 
cius’ shoulder. “ If you do not, you will never 
make a good Roman citizen or soldier. Do 
you remember the story of Mucius? ” 

“ No, Father,” said Lucius, who was always 
ready for a story. “ Please tell it to us.” 

“ Caius Mucius,” Gaius began, “ was a 
young Roman of noble birth. Lars Porsena, 
a powerful enemy of Rome, was camped with 
his army outside the walls of the city, and he 
had been there so long that the citizens had 
no food left. But, hungry and weak as they 
were, the Romans were not ready to surrender, 
so Caius Mucius made his way into the enemy’s 
camp, determined to kill the king. However, 
by some strange mistake, he killed the king’s 
secretary instead. 

“ He was captured and brought before Lars 




20 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


Porsena, who condemned him to be killed. 
Then Caius Mucius drew himself up and ex¬ 
claimed, ‘ There are three hundred more Ro¬ 
man youths ready to do what I have tried to 
do and failed! And, to show you that we do 
not fear any punishment, or any pain that you 
may condemn us to, I will suffer my right hand 
to be burned in your presence.’ 

“ With that he extended his hand and held 
it in the flame that was burning upon an altar 
in the king’s tent. His brave countenance 
showed no sign of suffering as he continued to 
hold his hand in the flame. 

“ Then Lars Porsena exclaimed, ‘If all Ro¬ 
mans are as brave as this, and can endure hard¬ 
ship without flinching, as this man can, I would 

4 

rather have them for friends than for enemies.’ 
And he straightway offered the city terms of 
peace. 

“ After that Caius Mucius was known as 
Scasvola, which means the left-handed.” 




MARCUS’ HOME 


21 


“ Ah, he was brave! ” exclaimed Lucius. 
“And he saved Rome by it, too, didn’t he?” 
And he continued to look thoughtful as they all 
went in to dinner. 



CHAPTER IV 


AT DINNER 

The Romans did not use chairs when at the 
table, but reclined upon couches. They rested 
upon the left arm, leaving the right hand free. 

As soon as Gaius and his family had taken 
their places about the table, one of the slaves 
removed their sandals, for a Roman would not 
think of eating in a private house with sandals 
upon his feet. 

When the dinner had been served, Gaia, 
turning to Lucius, asked, “ And what did you 
do in school to-day? ” 

“ Oh,” replied Lucius, “ I had such a nice 

way of learning my letters. The master gave 

me a set of letters cut from ivory, and, after 

I had learned their names, I made words from 

them, by laying them on my tablet. I played 
22 


AT DINNER 


23 


that each ivory letter was a boy, and it was 
much easier to remember their names that way. 

“ The master praised Marcus, to-day,” he 
added, turning to his father. 

“ What did he say? ” asked Gaius, and Mar¬ 
cus answered with a flush of pleasure, “ I read 
my maxim so well, that he said I should some 
day be able to address the Senate.” 

“ That is praise, indeed,” said his father, 
and then he added, “ I think you have your 
mother to thank for that. Ever since you 
learned to talk, she has been careful about 
your speech, and your mother uses the purest 
Latin.” 

Gaia flushed with pleasure at her husband’s 
praise, while Marcus replied, “ I know that that 
is true.” 

“ I hope,” Gaius continued, “ that you will 
gain as much by Glaucon’s teaching, for he is 
a good Greek scholar, and can teach you to 
speak the Greek language as well as you speak 




24 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


the Latin. We are fortunate in having such 
a pedagogue as Glaucon.” 

“ Glaucon is teaching me to speak in Greek, 
too,” said Lucius eagerly, “ and he says that I 
do very well.” 

“ That is good,” said Gaia, smiling approv¬ 
ingly at her younger boy. 

“ Father,” said Lucius after a pause, “ one 
of the boys in school was flogged to-day.” 

“ What had he done? ” asked Gaius. 

“ He wanted to go to an exhibition at the 
circus, and so he took cumin to make him look 
pale.” 

“ Aha,” said Gaius; “ and so the master saw 
through his trick? ” 

“Yes,” replied Lucius, laughingly, “and he 
gave him an exhibition of flogging, instead.” 

“ He was smarting from it afterward,” 
added Marcus, “ and Glaucon told him not to 
mind; that flogging was what made good men 
and women.” 




AT DINNER 


25 


“ Glaucon is probably right,” said Gaius. 
“ The rod is needed when boys and girls choose 
to be unruly.” 

“ Father,” said Terentia, speaking for the 
first time, “ I hear that girls attend some of the 
schools.” 

“ Yes,” replied her father, “ it is true, but 
I think no good will come of it. The daugh¬ 
ter’s place is in the home, and I believe it is 
better for her to be educated there. A girl 
should know how to read and write, and keep 
simple accounts, as you are learning to do; but 
the most important lessons for her to learn are 
how to care for a household, how to spin and 
weave, and above all, how to hold the love and 
honor of her family. 

“ I know that my ideas are beginning, in 
some places, to be looked upon as old-fash¬ 
ioned,” added Gaius, “ but they were held by 
our ancestors, and they lived worthy and hon¬ 


orable lives.” 




26 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


“ We had a new fashion set us at school 
to-day,” said Marcus with a laugh. “ Titus, 
the son of Faustus, was brought to school in 
a litter carried by six slaves.” 

“ I am afraid,” said Gaius severely, “ that 
Faustus will some day be sorry for his foolish 
following of these new Greek fashions. Cer¬ 
tainly Titus is able to walk, and need not be 
carried to school by slaves as though he were 
a great noble, or a lame old man. Children 
should be taught to be self-reliant, strong, use¬ 
ful, and honorable. Being carried about, need¬ 
lessly, by slaves, does not teach them any of 
those things. 

“ My children,” added Gaius, earnestly, “ let 
us keep to the old Roman ideals, which make 
strong, manly men, and true, honorable women: 
let us avoid idleness and empty show, and fool¬ 
ish fashions, which will make us weak in body, 
and weak in character as well. 

“ I think you all know the story of Cincin- 



AT DINNER 


27 


natus,” Gaius continued, after a pause, “ but 
it will do no harm for you to hear it again.” 

“ No, indeed, Father,” said Terentia. “ We 
always love to listen to your stories.” 

“I don’t remember about Cincinnatus,” said 
Lucius. “ Who was he? ” 

“ His name was like your own,” answered 
Gaius. “ It was Lucius Quintus, but he was 
called Cincinnatus because of his crisply curling 
hair. 

“ He was a brave and noble man, and a good 
soldier, but he lived upon his farm outside 
the city, and tilled the ground with his own 
labor. 

“ At the time of my story, some of the peo¬ 
ple with whom the Romans had made a treaty 
of peace, had broken their treaty, and were 
going through the Roman provinces killing the 
people and burning their houses. 

“ The Romans reminded them of their prom¬ 
ise of peace, but they would not listen, and they 




28 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


defeated the soldiers who were sent out against 
them, and kept them captive. 

“ Then the Romans saw that they must 
choose a very wise man as well as a good sol¬ 
dier, and must make him Dictator, and place 
him in charge of the entire army. 

“ They decided that Cincinnatus was the man 
who was needed, and messengers from the Sen¬ 
ate were sent to bring him. 

“ They found Cincinnatus plowing in his 
field, but he wrapped his toga about him and 
listened with dignity to all that they had to 
say. 

“ He went with them at once to Rome, and 
took command. He ordered every Roman in 
the city who was old enough to enter the army, 
to be ready to go with him that night. Each 
one was to carry his arms, sufficient food to 
last five days, and twelve wooden stakes. 

“ No one understood what the stakes were 
for, but all were ready to obey his commands. 



AT DINNER 


29 


“That night, under his orders, they marched 
to the spot where the enemy’s troops were en¬ 
camped, and surrounded them. Then each man 
dug a trench before him and drove in his stakes; 
and when the enemy was aroused by the shout 
of the Romans, they found themselves sur¬ 
rounded and captured. 

“ Then Cincinnatus had two spears set up¬ 
right in the ground, and a third fastened across 
their tops, and he made all the defeated army 
pass through, in sign that they placed them¬ 
selves under the Roman yoke. After that he 
let them go to their homes. 

“ When Cincinnatus returned to Rome he 
was given every honor that could be shown to 
a victorious general, but a few days later he 
laid aside the office of Dictator, knowing that 
his work was done, and returned to his little 
farm. 

“ We need not all be farmers, as Cincin¬ 
natus was, but we should all imitate the sim- 




30 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


plicity and the dignity which made Cincinnatus 
one of the heroes of Rome. 

“ The Greeks, whose ways so many Romans 
are copying,” Gains added, as he finished his 
story, “ have among them the best artists and 
poets in the world. I wish to give them all the 
credit possible for their art and their literature. 
It is only the idleness and the luxury of the 
Greeks that I am sorry to see the Romans imi¬ 
tating. It will not prove good for Rome.” 



CHAPTER V 


THE VESTAL OFFERING 

“ Come, little sister, we must hurry, or we 
will be late at the altar, and you know Father 
does not allow that.” 

Terentia took Livia’s hand and they ran to¬ 
gether to the atrium. 

Gaius and Gaia, Marcus and Lucius, and the 
household slaves, were all in the room, for it 
was the time of the early morning offering at 
the family altar. 

The Romans did not know the one true God, 
but believed that there were many gods. They 
thought that one watched over the household; 
that another had charge of the fields, and an¬ 
other of the flocks; while still others protected 
the sailors at sea, and the soldiers in battle. 

Vesta was called the goddess of the home, 
31 


32 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


and in every Roman house there was an altar 
to Vesta at one end of the atrium. 

When all the household was together, Gaius 
laid an offering of salt upon the altar, and 
prayed that the affairs of the home might be 
blessed. The ceremony was a very simple one, 
but it marked the beginning of each day in the 
Roman home. 

“ Oh, Mother,” said Terentia, after her 
father and Marcus had gone, “ am I to learn 
to weave to-day? I am so eager to begin.” 

“ Yes,” replied Gaia, “ I shall begin to-day 
to teach you how to weave. You have learned 
to spin so well.” 

Gaia’s loom stood in the atrium, and Teren¬ 
tia felt very proud and happy as she stood be¬ 
fore it. Her mother showed her how to wind 
the wool upon the shuttle, and then how to 
thrust it back and forth through the warp of 
the loom. In a little while Terentia was able 
to manage the shuttle alone. 




THE VESTAL OFFERING 


33 


“ Isn’t it strange,” she said to her mother, 
“ how we can make just these woollen threads 
into cloth to wear! I shall try to make mine 
as smooth and even as possible, for then Father 
will praise me.” 

Gaia smiled as she said, “ That is right, 
my daughter. It is only by trying that we 
can do good work, and your father will 
be pleased if your cloth is smooth and 
even.” 

Livia stood by and watched Terentia with a 
great deal of interest. The shuttle flew back 
and forth, back and forth, and the bit of cloth 
in the loom grew steadily. 

“Mother,” said Terentia, as she worked, “ I 
heard you say yesterday that our cousin, Cor¬ 
nelia, had been chosen to be a Vestal Virgin. 
Please tell me just what it means.” 

“ I think you have seen the Temple of Vesta, 
near the Forum,” Gaia said, “ and, of course, 
you understand that the goddess, Vesta, cares 



34 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


for our homes. That is why there is an altar 
to Vesta in every house.” 

“Yes,” replied Terentia, “I understand 
about that; but what do the Vestal Virgins 
do?” 

“ Inside the Temple of Vesta, there is, of 
course, an altar, and the fire upon this is kept 
burning day and night. It is never allowed to 
go out. The Vestal Virgins care for this fire, 
and although they have other duties connected 
with the service of the temple, this is their chief 
care. 

“ Those who are chosen, as our cousin Cor¬ 
nelia has been, are greatly honored, for no 
Roman girl can be called to a higher service. 
Cornelia is not yet ten years old. For the next 
ten years she will be learning the duties of the 
temple; after that she will care for the sacred 
fires upon the altar for ten years; and then for 
the ten years following she will teach those who 
have been newly chosen for the service.” 



THE VESTAL OFFERING 


35 


“ And must she leave her own home for all 
of that time?” asked Terentia. 

“Yes,” her mother replied, “she gives up 
everything else to serve the goddess Vesta. But 
it is so great an honor that very few of the 
Vestal Virgins ever return to their homes, even 
after their time of service is over. 

“ Your father was telling me yesterday of an 
interesting incident. A prisoner was being hur¬ 
ried along the street, when he and his guard 
met one of the Vestal Virgins. The prisoner 
dropped to his knees, and the Vestal Virgin 
granted him pardon.” 

“Can the Vestal Virgins do that?” cried 
Terentia. “How happy the poor man must 
have been.” 

Terentia worked thoughtfully for some time, 
and then her glance fell upon Livia, who had 
grown tired of watching the busy shuttle, and 
was now playing with her beloved clay dolly. 

Presently Terentia turned to her mother and 




36 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


said, “ Oh, Mother, may I have this first piece 
of cloth to use as I like? ” 

“ Perhaps,” her mother answered with a 
smile. “ What would you choose to make from 
it?” 

“ Oh, a dear little tunic for Livia,” said 
Terentia eagerly. 

“ That will be very nice indeed,” Gaia an¬ 
swered. “ I could not ask you to put it to bet¬ 
ter use.” 

It took many, many days of weaving before 
the piece of cloth was long enough for even the 
little tunic, for sometimes there were mistakes 
which had to be undone. But at last the soft 
woollen cloth was taken from the loom, and 
Terentia looked at its pretty folds and held it 
almost lovingly. 

“ I can hardly believe that I made it,” she 
said with a happy laugh. 




CHAPTER VI 

A ROMAN GIRL 

The little tunic was very simply made, but it 
was new work to Terentia. 

“ Are you sure it will be nice enough for 
Livia to wear?” Terentia asked her mother, 
anxiously. 

“ Yes,” replied Gaia, “ I am sure it will be 
if you make it as carefully as you wove the 
cloth.” 

“What makes you smile at me so often?” 
questioned Livia, looking up from her favorite 
clay dolly, which she was drawing about the 
room in its little cart. 

“ Oh, by and by I shall have a surprise for 
you,” said Terentia, “ but you must wait and 
ask no questions.” 


37 


38 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


Livia looked as though she would like to 
ask a great many, but she said no more. 

Presently she asked, “ Mother, may I go 
into the garden to play? ” And Gaia answered, 
“ Yes, and Terentia has sewed long enough 
now. She may go with you.” 

The children loved to be in the garden with 
its beautiful flowers and its sparkling fountain. 

“ Let us play with the ball,” said Livia, and 
then she added, “ Oh, here comes Lucius. 
Perhaps he will play, too.” 

After a while Livia grew tired of running 
after the ball which her little hands found it 
hard to hold, so she sat down by the edge of 
the fountain and called her doves, who came 
and perched upon her shoulder. 

“ Oh, see,” laughed Livia. “ The dove is 
trying to eat the beads of my necklace.” 

“ There, there, naughty dove,” said Teren¬ 
tia, “ those are not good to eat. They are to 
keep the evil eye away from our little Livia.” 



A ROMAN GIRL 


39 


The necklace, at which the dove kept peck¬ 
ing, was made from odd and beautiful beads. 
Some were in the shape of coins, some were 
tiny images, others were shaped like axes and 
swords, while the most beautiful were in the 
form of half-moons, or of flowers. These 
quaint little objects were made from many kinds 
of metal and stone, and they were strung and 
worn as a necklace. 

The beads had been given to Livia when she 
was eight days old. At that time she had been 
named, a sacrifice had been offered to the gods, 
and there had been great rejoicing and merry¬ 
making. 

While she was a baby, the little objects had 
pleased her by their bright colors and by the 
noise they made when jingled together. Now 
that she was older, she still wore them, 
as they were looked upon as a charm 
which kept the evil eye of the gods from 
her. 



40 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


A little later Gaia came into the garden, and 
Livia soon climbed upon her lap. 

“ I wish you would tell us a story, Mother,” 
said Terentia. 

Gaia thought for a moment and then she 
said, “ Your father has told you the story of 
Scaevola, the Left-Handed, and it has reminded 
me of another story connected with Lars Por- 
sena; but this one is about a girl. 

“ Do you remember the statue of a girl, 
mounted upon a horse, that stands at the top 
of the Sacred Way? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Terentia, “ and her name is 
Cloelia, but I do not know the story about 
her.” 

“ Cloelia,” said Gaia, “ had been taken from 
home, with many other girls and boys, by Lars 
Porsena. He had been fighting against the 
Romans, and had defeated them. Then he had 
made some of the noblest of the Romans give 
up their sons and daughters as hostages of war, 



A ROMAN GIRL 


41 


before he would take his soldiers away from 
their city. He thought that if he took these 
boys and girls away with his army, the Romans 
would not dare to offend him, for fear that he 
might be cruel to their children. 

“ Lars Porsena went into camp some distance 
from Rome, on the opposite side of the river 
Tiber. Then it was that Cloelia formed a dar¬ 
ing plan. She, and several of her companions 
who were strong and brave, swam across the 
river at night, and made their way back to 
Rome on foot. The current of the river is 
swift, and it required great endurance to 
carry out their plan, but they reached Rome 
safely. 

“ However, the brave girl and her compan¬ 
ions were to meet with a bitter disappointment, 
for the Romans decided that, although they 
^dmired the courage which they had shown, 
they must be sent back to Lars Porsena’s camp, 
for they had agreed with the king that he 



42 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


should have these boys and girls as hostages of 
war, if he would take his army away from 
Rome.” 

“Oh, what a pity!” exclaimed Terentia. 

“ It did, indeed, seem so,” said Gaia, “ but 
the Romans knew that it would not be honor¬ 
able to keep them, and so they were taken back 
to Lars Porsena’s camp. 

“ But our story turns out well, after all,” she 
added, “ for when Lars Porsena saw how just 
and honorable the Romans were, and how cou¬ 
rageous Cloelia and her companions had proved 
themselves, he called before him all the Ro¬ 
mans that he had taken as hostages. Then he 
told Cloelia that she might choose one-half of 
their number, and he would send them back to 
Rome, free. 

“ Cloelia was as wise as she was brave, and 
she chose the younger half of the Romans, and 
they returned to the city with great honor. 

“At the close of the war, the statue which 



A ROMAN GIRL 


43 


you have seen in the Sacred Way, was erected 
in memory of Cloelia’s brave deed.” 

“ That is a splendid story, Mother,” said 
Terentia. “ I am glad that there are brave 
Roman girls, as well as brave Roman boys.” 

“ Come here, Livia,” called Terentia later 
that afternoon, and when Livia came she 
slipped off the little tunic which Livia had been 
wearing, and put on, instead, the new one which 
she had just finished. 

“ It is for you, little sister,” she said hap¬ 
pily. “ I made it all myself, from the soft, 
white wool of the sheep.” 

Livia hugged Terentia, and then danced 
about to express her delight, and when her 
father returned to the house she ran to him and 
showing him the soft, new garment, she ex¬ 
claimed, “Terentia made it for me; every bit 
herself!” 

Gaius smiled and praised Terentia, till she 
blushed with happiness. 



44 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


“ You will be a Roman matron like your 
mother one of these days,” he said. And Te- 
rentia felt that he could give her no greater 
praise than that. 



CHAPTER VII 


THE FUNERAL PROCESSION 

“ The funeral of the general, Antonius, takes 
place to-morrow, Marcus,” said Tullius, as the 
two boys were walking home from school. 
“ There will be a great procession; suppose we 
watch it together.” 

“ Call for me in the morning and I will be 
ready,” said Marcus, as they parted at a corner 
of the street. 

The funeral occurred very early. A public 
crier first went about the streets of the city call¬ 
ing aloud in these words: “ The general, An¬ 
tonius, has been surrendered to death. For 
those who find it convenient, it is now time to 
attend the funeral. He is being brought from 
his house.” 

Tullius, followed by Aulus, was quickly 
45 


46 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


joined by Marcus and Glaucon, and they took 
their places beside the roadway. 

“ We shall not have long to wait,” said Mar¬ 
cus, as they heard the strains of music in the 
distance, and soon the procession came in sight. 

First there was a band of men playing upon 
musical instruments, and following the band 
came a company of singers. The songs which 
the latter sang had been written in praise of 
the dead general, telling of his brave deeds in 
battle. 

Next, strange as the custom now seems, came 
a group of men who were hired to laugh and 
jest, and make merry speeches to those who 
stood by. 

“Now, look,” cried Tullius to Marcus; 
“here begins the fine part of the procession: 
here come the ancestors of the general.” 

Now, in order to understand Tullius’ remark, 
we must know that whenever a man who had 
done his country a public service died, a wax 



THE FUNERAL PROCESSION 


47 


mask of his face was made, and this was very 
carefully kept by his family. It was placed in 
a cabinet made especially for it, with a written 
record of all his public deeds. For hundreds of 
years this custom had been kept up, so that 
some families had a very large number of these 
cabinets of ancestors. The greater number 
they had, the greater honor was given the fam¬ 
ily, because it showed that they came of a long 
line of men who had served their country hon¬ 
orably. 

At the funeral of a great man, these wax 
masks were taken out of the cabinets and each 
one was worn by a man who dressed just as 
the one whose mask he wore had been in the 
habit of dressing on great occasions. 

As these strange figures passed before Mar¬ 
cus and Tullius, the boys looked at them with 
the greatest interest. It was like seeing the 
great men of Rome for many centuries past, 
walking by in the order in which they had lived 



48 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


and served their country. As the figures passed, 
Glaucon and Aulus told the boys many inter¬ 
esting stories about the different men who were 
thus pictured; of the battles in which they had 
fought, or of the public cause for which they 
had stood. 

It was like a picture lesson in Roman history. 
When the last figure passed, Marcus exclaimed, 
“ I know better, now, what Father meant when 
he said I could learn a great deal from the pro¬ 
cession, if I thought of what I saw.” 

“Now see!” cried Glaucon. “You know 
the general came home in great triumph from 
the war, a few years ago. Here we have a 
picture of his entry into Rome.” 

The boys looked eagerly. Before them 
pranced beautiful horses, followed by chariots 
of war, heaped with the richest treasures. 

After the chariots came a long line of slaves 
to represent the captives that had been taken 
in battle. 




“FOLLOWED BY THE FAMILY, THE SLAVES OF HIS 
HOUSEHOLD, AND FRIENDS.” 
















































































































































THE FUNERAL PROCESSION 


49 


Glaucon and Aulus looked grave as they 
watched these slaves file past, for in just such 
fashion they had been brought captive to Rome. 

After the slaves, came the body of the gen¬ 
eral, carried upon a high couch, and followed 
by the family, the slaves of his household, and 
friends. 

Last of all came the torch-bearers, with fla¬ 
ming torches, even though it was day. 

When the procession had passed, the boys 
turned toward the Forum, where a speech in 
honor of the general was to be given by Quin¬ 
tus, the father of Tullius. 



CHAPTER VIII 


THE GIFT OF A BOOK 

There were no book stores in Rome two 
thousand years ago. There had been but few 
books made, and each one of these had been 
written by hand for some special person. The 
writing was done upon sheets of papyrus which 
were rolled into the form of a scroll. A book 
written in this way was not only highly valued, 
but it made an expensive gift. 

“ I have received many favors from the Con¬ 
sul, Crassus,” Gaius said one day at dinner, 
“ and I should like to prove to him that I am 
grateful for them.” Then turning to Gaia, he 
added, “ I think I will have a copy made of the 
book of Greek poems which was recently sent 
to you.” 

“ It would make a beautiful gift, I am sure,” 
said Gaia. 


50 


THE GIFT OF A BOOK 


51 


“ I shall want the best sheets of papyrus that 
can be found in Rome,” Gaius continued. “ I 
think it will be well for Glaucon to go to the 
shop and select them. Would you boys like to 
go with him? ” 

“ Yes, indeed,” replied Marcus and Lucius. 

“ How is papyrus made, Glaucon, and what 
is it made from?” asked Lucius, as they were 
preparing to go to the shop. 

“ Papyrus,” replied Glaucon, “is a reed 
which grows sometimes twice as high as a man’s 
head. The stem is not round, but has three 
sides, and it is four or five inches thick. The 
outer covering of the stem is dark, but the inner 
part, or pith, from which the sheets of papyrus 
are made, is white. 

“ When I was in Egypt,” Glaucon continued, 
“ I visited a very large papyrus factory, and it 
was interesting to see how the sheets were pre¬ 
pared.” 

“ Do tell us about it,” said Marcus. 



52 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


The boys knew that Glaucon had travelled in 
other countries besides Greece, before he had 
been taken captive and made a slave. 

“ The factory,’’ responded Glaucon, “ was in 
a large building with open courts. Tanks of 
water stood in each court, and great bundles of 
papyrus stems lay beside them. The stems 
were first dipped in the water to soften them, 
then they were taken inside the building, where 
the dark outer covering was peeled off. After 
that the white pith was cut into very thin strips 
with a sharp knife. 

“ When these strips had been dried,” Glau¬ 
con continued, “ they were laid upon tables, 
side by side, and other strips were laid side by 
side across them, and pasted down. This made 
them into large sheets. After being pasted the 
sheets were pressed, bleached to make them 
very white, and trimmed to the same size.” 

“Where does the papyrus grow?” asked 
Lucius. 




THE GIFT OF A BOOK 


53 


“ In Egypt,” replied Glaucon, “ and the 
largest factories are in that country.” 

Gaius was pleased with the fine, smooth 
sheets that Glaucon brought with him from the 
shop. He called for the slave who did his 
writing, and who, like Glaucon, was an edu¬ 
cated Greek. This slave’s name was Dru- 
sus. 

To Drusus he gave the sheets of papyrus and 
the book of Greek poems. “ I want an exact 
copy made,” he said, “ for it is to be a gift to 
the Consul.” 

Drusus was well pleased with the task, and 
went about the work at once. Terentia and 
even little Livia, as well as Marcus and Lucius, 
stood by while Drusus sharpened the reed pens 
and split their points carefully. He then filled 
the inkstands, one with black ink, the other 
with red, after which he took Gaia’s book from 
its case and carefully unrolled the first page. 
The headings and ornaments at the beginning 



54 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


of the book were made with red ink, and the 
writing which followed was done with black. 

“ How queer the Greek letters look,” said 
Terentia. “ They are not at all like the Latin 
letters. Can you name any of them, Marcus? ” 

“ I know the names of only a few,” replied 
Marcus, “ but next year, when I enter the gram¬ 
mar school, I shall learn to read and write 
Greek. I think that will be fine.” 

“ I am learning to speak Greek from 
mother,” said Terentia, “ but I do not want 
to learn to write such queer letters.” 

One after another Drusus unrolled the pages 
of the book, and copied them upon the fine 
sheets of papyrus. The work went on rather 
slowly, for he took care to form each letter 
perfectly, so that the book should be as beauti¬ 
ful as possible. 

After many days the last page was copied, 
the ornaments at the end were carefully made 
in red ink, and the writing was completed. 



THE GIFT OF A BOOK 


55 


“ Come, Terentia,” called Marcus, who was 
watching Drusus at the time, “ you will want 
to see the book put together.” 

Very carefully Drusus laid the pages side by 
side, lapped the edges one over the other, and 
pasted the many sheets of papyrus into one long 
strip. Then he added light wooden rods to the 
ends of the strip, and the book was ready to 
be rolled and placed in the case which had been 
made to hold it. 

It had taken a long time to complete the 
work, but when Gaius examined it and saw how 
clearly and perfectly the letters had been 
formed, and how carefully the ornaments and 
headings had been made, he was very much 
pleased. 

“ It is quite as beautiful as my own book,” 
declared Gaia, and Gaius added, “ I think that 
it surely will please the Consul.” 




CHAPTER IX 


IN THE SENATE 

The lessons which a Roman boy learned in 
school were only a part of his education. Every 
boy was trained to be a soldier, and much about 
the government and the politics of Rome was 
learned by listening to speeches in the Forum. 
Sons of the Senators were frequently taken to 
the Senate, that they might listen to the best 
speakers and orators of the time. This formed 
an important part of the education of the Ro¬ 
man boy of good birth. 

Marcus was not surprised, therefore, when 
his father said to him one morning at breakfast, 
“ I want you to go with me to the Senate to¬ 
day. These are troubled times for Rome, and 
there are likely to be important speeches by the 
Senators.” 


56 


IN THE SENATE 


57 


Marcus was ready promptly. He liked to 
go to the Forum, which was the busiest place 
in all the great city, and they must pass through 
the Forum to reach the Senate. 

The Forum was a large, open building with 
beautiful carvings and statues, and it was be¬ 
tween two of the seven hills upon which Rome 
was built. The men of the city gathered there 
every day to learn the latest news from the 
war, to listen to political speeches, or to attend 
to any public business, and it was always a 
bustling, noisy place. 

“ Has the army been defeated? ” asked Mar¬ 
cus, as he and his father were on their way. 
“ You spoke of trouble,” he added. 

“ No,” replied Gaius, “ I fear that we have 
even greater trouble than that on hand. Some 
of the citizens are trying to stir up rebellion in 
Rome itself. Listen well to all that is said 
to-day.” 

At the entrance to the Senate they met Tul- 



58 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


lius, and the two boys, as sons of Senators, were 
allowed to enter the building. They took seats 
together, where they could hear all that was 
said. 

Presently one of the Senators arose. “ It is 
Cicero,” said Tullius eagerly. “ Now we shall 
hear him speak!” For Cicero was one of the 
greatest orators of Rome, and his writings and 
orations are studied in schools and colleges 
to-day. 

It was very quiet in the Senate when Cicero 
began to speak, for all seemed to realize that 
he had important matters to bring before them. 
And they were not mistaken. He told them 
that there was treason in their midst: that 
traitors were seeking to destroy and betray their 
city and overthrow the government: and then,* 
raising his right arm, he pointed to one of the 
Senators named Catiline, and exclaimed, “ In 
the name of the gods, Catiline, how long will 
you abuse our patience? ” 



IN THE SENATE 


59 


There was a great outcry at this, for Cati¬ 
line tried to defend himself, but Cicero had 
learned of his plot, and boldly told the as¬ 
sembled Senators that Catiline was a trai¬ 
tor. 

Then there were shouts of “ Enemy of 
Rome,” and in the midst of the confusion Cati¬ 
line left the room and hastened away from the 
city. 

Marcus and Tullius were greatly excited over 
all this uproar in the usually dignified Senate, 
and on their way home they denounced Catiline 
as fiercely, if not as eloquently, as Cicero had 
done. 

That afternoon a group of boys gathered in 
the garden of Marcus’ home. They were all 
excited over the wars, which were being car¬ 
ried on in the country between the Roman army 
and the army of an Eastern king. Now they 
were more than ever excited over Cicero’s 
speech against Catiline. 



60 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


“ I wish I were old enough to fight for 
Rome,” exclaimed Marcus. 

“ So do I! ” shouted the other boys in chorus. 

“ Since we are not, suppose you whet our 
appetites, Marcus, by telling us some of your 
famous war stories,” suggested Tullius. 

“ Yes, yes,” echoed the boys. “Tell us some 
stories, Marcus.” And, after a moment, Mar¬ 
cus began: 

“ About two hundred years ago, Rome had 
her first battle with Carthage, you will remem¬ 
ber. At that time Carthage ruled nearly all 
the cities that surrounded the Mediterranean 
Sea, and so the people of Carthage said 
proudly, ‘ The Mediterranean is only a lake 
which belongs to Carthage. No one can so 
much as wash his hands in it unless he receives 
permission from usd 

“ Of course when the Romans heard this they 
determined that the Mediterranean should be¬ 
long to them, or, at least, that Carthage should 



IN THE SENATE 


61 


be made to take back her boast, and war was 
declared between the two nations. 

“ I am not going to tell you the history of 
this war,” Marcus continued, “ but a story 
which is part of that history, and which shows 
the sort of stuff that Romans are made of. 

“ Rome had no naval fleet to speak of, and 
her soldiers would not have known how to man¬ 
age a fleet if they had had one. But the people 
of Carthage had a big fleet of vessels, and knew 
how to handle them, too. Their vessels had 
sails, and besides the sails they had five banks, 
or rows, of oars, one bank above another, the 
whole length of the ship. The oars were 
moved together in perfect time by slaves, who 
had been trained for this purpose. 

“ But Roman soldiers are not to be discour¬ 
aged,” said Marcus proudly, “ and since they 
knew that they must fight some of their battles 
on the water, they began studying how they 
were to do it. 



62 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


“ The gods always favor the brave, and one 
day a disabled ship floated ashore close to the 
Roman camp. Then the army went to work. 
They studied the ship to see how it was built. 
They cut down trees in the forest and hewed 
them into timbers and planks. And that they 
might have men to manage the ships when they 
were ready, they set soldiers in banks upon the 
hillside, who practised the motion of rowing 
with even strokes. 

u At the end of sixty days,” declared Marcus, 
“ the Romans had a fleet of vessels ready to 
sail, and men trained to row them. That was 
the beginning of the Roman navy, which is now 
the finest in the world.” 

“ Good, good,” cried the boys, when Marcus 
had finished his spirited story. Marcus flushed 
with pleasure, and when he looked up, his 
father stood beside him. 

“ I am glad to see you boys so well occupied,” 
said Gaius. u And I have some good news to 




IN THE SENATE 


63 


tell you. Word has just been received that our 
army is victorious, and that the king who has 
fought against us for so long is dead. Now, 
indeed, Rome may rejoice.” 

The boys jumped to their feet and shouted 
lustily. 

“ I suppose Pompey will soon return,” ex¬ 
claimed Tullius eagerly, for Pompey was the 
general in charge of the army, and the return 
of a victorious general was one of the finest 
sights to be seen in Rome. It meant a magnifi¬ 
cent procession, merry-making, feasting, and re¬ 
joicing. 

“ Good! Good! ” exclaimed the boys again 
and then they scattered to spread the news. 

But the boys of Athens were not to see Pom- 
pey’s triumph quite so soon as they hoped. 




CHAPTER X 


ON THE FARM 

School had closed, and Gaius had taken his 
family for the summer months to the large 
farm which he owned. The children were 
pleased at the change, and were interested in 
all the affairs of the farm, which was so differ¬ 
ent from their home in the city. 

The farm was managed by a trusted slave, 
and the work was done by slaves, belonging to 
Gaius. 

“ It is like a farm, here, and like a city, too,” 
said Lucius one day. 

“Why do you think that? ” asked his father. 

“ Because,” replied Lucius, “ there are olive 

orchards, and vineyards, and fields of grain; 

and there are presses for making oil from the 

olives, and wine from the grapes, and stones 
64 


ON THE FARM 


65 


for grinding the grain. And that is all like a 
farm. But there are as many people here as 
in a small city, and there are great stores for all 
kinds of food, and there are big ovens for 
baking, like those in the city.” 

“ Yes,” said Marcus, u it is interesting to 
watch the men at work, too. Some of the slaves 
are tool makers, and .make the tools that are 
used for building the houses and sheds, and 
those for taking care of the grain.” 

“ I like best to watch the sheep, and to see 
them sheared,” said Terentia, “ though the 
poor things look so strange when their heavy 
fleece is off. 

“ But it is fine then to see how the wool is 
washed and made ready to be carded and spun 
and woven into cloth, as we spin and weave it 
at home,” she added. 

“ I like to see the bees,” exclaimed Livia, 
“ because I know that they make the nice honey 
for my bread.” 



66 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


“ You must be careful not to be upon too 
friendly terms with the bees,” said Gaius, “ or 
they may sting you.” 

“Yes,” Livia answered. “Terentia told me 
about that, and I stand very still when I watch 
them.” 

“ And do you like the bees better than the 
pretty doves, or the saucy chickens?” asked 
Terentia. 

“ I like the doves and the chickens,” an¬ 
swered Livia, “ but the bees make such good 
honey.” 

“ The little ones all like sweets,” said Gaius 
with a smile. “ And what has interested you? ” 
he asked, turning to Gaia. 

“ I think,” replied Gaia, “ that I have been 
most interested in the work of those who weave 
the baskets and who make the rope. Their 
work is so new and strange to me.” 

“ A Roman farm, like ours,” said Gaius, “ is 
a complete community, as you children have 



ON THE FARM 


67 


discovered. If we were suddenly to be cut off 
from all other people and places, we could go 
right on living comfortably here, for we make 
our own tools and our own buildings, and we 
produce all that we really need to eat and to 
wear.” 

The tools that were used on a Roman farm 
would seem very few and very simple to a 
modern farmer, even though so many kinds of 
work were carried on. Nearly all the labor was 
performed by the slaves, by hand, although 
oxen were used to draw the plow and to turn 
the stones for grinding grain. 

There were large numbers of cattle on Gaius’ 
farm, and some of the milk was used for ma¬ 
king cheese, but Marcus and Terentia never 
had tasted butter, for no one knew how to make 
it in those days. Olive oil was used in its place, 
and large groves of olive trees were grown on 
every farm. 

No one ever had heard of sugar at that time, 




68 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


either. Honey was the only sweetening known. 
But aside from butter and sugar, Marcus and 
his brother and sisters ate very much the same 
kinds of food that we have to-day. 

Each day the children found something new 
to watch on the farm. One day the boys stood 
by the stone quarry and saw the slaves quarry 
stone and shape it for building. At another 
time they watched them hew down trees, and 
make them into rough lumber, and on still an¬ 
other day they were on hand to see them sift 
great quantities of sand for cement, for a great 
many of the Roman buildings were made of 
cement. It was convenient to have all these 
materials on the farm, for new buildings were 
often needed for storing grain, or for sheltering 
the great number of slaves. 

Several festivals and holidays took place 
while the children were on the farm. 

“ To-morrow,” said Gaius one morning, “ we 
celebrate the Ambarvalia.” 



ON THE FARM 


69 


The children knew that in the country this 
was the most important religious festival of 
the year, and they were eager for the next day 
to come. They would walk in procession, and 
carry great sheaves of flowers in their arms, 
and what could be more delightful than that? 
No work would be done by the family or by 
any of the slaves, and after the ceremony the 
day would be a holiday for all. 

Early in the morning the slaves were brought 
together, and a very large company they made. 
The children looked at them in surprise, for 
although Lucius had said there were as many 
people on the farm as in a small city, they had 
seen the slaves only as they were scattered here 
and there at their work. Now it seemed to 
them that they formed a small army, as they 
were brought together for the celebration of the 
Ambarvalia. 

Gaius, with Marcus and the other members 
of his family, headed the solemn and reverent 




70 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


procession. They were followed by the over¬ 
seer and the members of his family, and all the 
slaves of lesser importance. 

They bore great sheaves of flowers in their 
arms, and Gaius carried purifying water, while 
Marcus waved fragrant incense. 

Young animals from the best of the farm’s 
flocks had been chosen for a sacrifice to the 
gods of the fields, and these animals had been 
gaily decorated and were led in the procession. 

All about the fields the procession moved 
slowly, even Livia holding fast to her mother’s 
hand, and stepping gravely beside her. She 
understood what it was all intended to mean, 
for Gaia had told her that they wanted to thank 
the gods who watched over the fields, for all 
the good things which the earth gave them, and 
to ask that the fields might continue to give 
them abundant harvests. 

Marcus, too, had been taught by his father 
what the sacrifice meant, and how all the cere- 




ON THE FARM 


71 


mony was to be carried on, for some day, when 
he was a man, he would take the place that his 
father did to-day, and offer the sacrifices him¬ 
self. 

After the fragrant incense had been waved, 
the sacrifices had been made, and the purifying 
water had been sprinkled, the ceremony was 
finished, and then they all walked reverently 
back to the house. 

After that the day was given up to rest or 
to merrymaking, for the slaves were free to 
do as they liked, and so the holiday of the Am- 
barvalia was enjoyed by all. 

“ I suppose we shall soon be going back to 
Rome,” said Marcus one morning to his father. 

“ Yes, my son,” replied Gaius. “ I am plan¬ 
ning to send a letter to the city to-morrow, so 
that everything may be ready for us at home. 
We shall return very soon.” 

Glaucon, Drusus, and a few of the household 
slaves had gone with the family to the farm, 



72 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


and Gaius now sent for Drusus to write the 
letter for him. 

“ May I watch Drusus write the letter, 
Father?” asked Lucius. 

“ Certainly,” replied Gaius. 

Drusus first took two tablets such as Marcus 
and Lucius used in school, but each of these 
tablets had only one waxed surface. He fas¬ 
tened the two together by lacing cords through 
holes in one edge of each frame, so that the 
two waxed surfaces were inside. 

Then Drusus took his stylus and wrote the 
letter as Gaius told him. After it was finished, 
he bound the double tablet about with a cord, 
so that nothing could mar the inner surfaces 
upon which the letter was written. He then 
fastened the ends of the cord with wax, which 
he stamped with Gaius’ seal. 

The next morning a foot-runner was called 
and the letter was given to him to take to Rome. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE RETURN TO ROME 

“The farm is nice, but it will seem good 
to be at home again,” said Terentia to her 
mother, as they entered the carriage which 
stood waiting. 

It would take two days to make the journey 
back to the city, and they were to stop over 
night at the home of Perseus, a friend of Gaius, 
as they had done on their way to the farm. 

Perseus, with his family, always stayed at 
the home of Gaius when in Rome, and the ex¬ 
change of visits was enjoyed by all. 

The children were quite excited at the nov¬ 
elty of the journey. Gaius and Marcus were 
to ride on horseback. Lucius was to ride in 
the carriage with his mother and sisters, but 

he wished with all his heart that he were old 
73 


74 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


enough to mount a horse and ride beside his 
father and Marcus. 

The carriage had no seats, but was supplied 
with many soft pillows upon which they were 
to recline. 

The family goods were made up into packs, 
which were carried on the backs of mules. Al¬ 
together, they formed quite a little caravan, 
and the children thought it almost as good as 
one of the gay processions of the city. 

Lucius, who liked to “ make believe,” de¬ 
clared that his father was a great general re¬ 
turning fom war. Marcus was his chief officer, 
the family slaves were those that had been cap¬ 
tured by Gaius in a great battle, while the mules 
with their packs bore the spoils that had been 
taken — the gold and silver vessels, the rich 
silks and embroideries, and the massive armor 
of the conquered generals. 

“ And what are we? ” asked Terentia laugh¬ 
ing. 




THE RETURN TO ROME 


75 


“We? Oh,” added Lucius readily, 
“ Mamma is a noble princess that Gaius, the 
general, met and married; you girls are her 
handmaidens, and I — oh,” ended Lucius with 
a laugh, “ I am her slave,” and he flung his 
arms impetuously about her neck, while Gaia 
gathered him into her arms. 

“ Slaves don’t do that! ” said Terentia. 

The road that they travelled that day was a 
quiet one. Now and then a foot-runner, or a 
messenger on horseback would meet them, or 
they would be passed by a two-wheeled cart 
with a high seat and a single horse to draw it. 

After several hours of travelling, the children 
grew tired, and then Gaia read a story to them, 
and/played games with them. 

At noon it was like a delightful picnic, for 
then they all rested beside the road, while the 
slaves served the food which had been pre¬ 
pared at the farm. 

Late in the afternoon, they passed one of 



76 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


the roadside inns or taverns, which had a sign 
in the form of a stork hanging before the door. 
In the doorway stood the keeper of the inn, 
who called lustily to Gaius to stop over night 
with him, and promised all sorts of comfortable 
beds and board, for a reasonable sum. 

But Gaius paid no attention to the innkeeper, 
for the taverns of that day were used mostly by 
foot-runners and messengers, and they were 
neither comfortable nor clean. 

The home of Perseus was but a little farther 
on, and at his door the family caravan halted. 

Perseus bade them welcome, and in a little 
while the children of the two families were 
playing together about the beautiful fountain 
in the open court, and talking of games, and of 
school, which would so soon begin again. 

Gaia and the wife of Perseus talked of house¬ 
hold affairs, and of the life upon the farm; 
while Gaius and Perseus discussed the recent 
wars, and the grave affairs of the state. 



THE RETURN TO ROME 


77 


The home of Perseus was very large and 
very beautiful, but although he was a man of 
wealth and had many slaves, he chose to live 
outside the city, and to carry on his own farm. 

Gaius and his family were so pleasantly en¬ 
tertained, that all were sorry when the time 
came for them to resume their journey the next 
day. 



CHAPTER XII 


ON THE APPIAN WAY 

On the second day of their journey, the chil¬ 
dren had little time to grow tired or restless, 
for they had entered the Appian Way, which 
was always thronged with people, riding, walk¬ 
ing, or being carried in litters. 

This Appian Way was the main road leading 
to Rome, and it was the oldest, the best known, 
and the finest road in all the world. 

“ Notice, children, what a wonderfully fine 
road this is,” said Gaia. “ It was built by Ap- 
pius Claudius for the Roman armies to march 
over.” 

The children looked at the road, which was 
of stone and very broad. 

“I have heard father say,” remarked Te- 
78 


ON THE APPIAN WAY 


79 


rentia, “ that it is made from great blocks of 
stone, fitted so carefully together that it is not 
possible to tell where they are joined.” 

“ That is true,” said Gaia. “ See, it looks 
like one great stone. It is a wonderful piece 
of work.” 

Just then the attention of all was drawn to 
a party of men on horseback. The men wore 
medals and badges, which showed that they had 
been honored by the government. The horses 
were richly decked, and their shoes, which were 
of leather, were tipped with silver, which glis¬ 
tened as they stepped. 

“ What beautiful horses,” said Lucius. And 
then he added quickly, “ Oh, see! ” for follow¬ 
ing at a little distance from the horsemen came 
a two-wheeled cart, drawn by mules. It had 
an arched cover, to protect the occupants from 
sun or rain, and two ladies reclined within it 
upon a pile of gay cushions. The covering of 
the cart, the cushions within it, and the trap- 



80 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN' 


pings of the mules were rich with embroidery, 
and were of the most costly fabrics. 

“Who are they, Mother?” asked Terentia, 
as Gaia exchanged greetings with the ladies. 

“ They are the wives of the Consul, Crassus, 
and of the general, Galba,” she replied. 

A moment later there was a hurried clatter 
of hoofs on the road, and a government courier 
dashed by on horseback. He led a second 
horse. 

“What man is that?” asked Marcus of his 
father, when he could speak above the din of 
the clattering hoofs. 

“ That is a government courier,” replied 
Gaius. “ He bears some government message, 
and he must ride with all haste. These cour¬ 
iers often cover one hundred miles in a day. 
That would be impossible,” Gaius added, “ if 
the roads about Rome were not so well made.” 

“Why does he lead the second horse?” 
asked Marcus. 



ON THE APPIAN WAY 


81 


“ At the rate that he travels, he will soon 
tire the first horse. He will then jump upon 
the second horse, leaving the first to rest at 
some inn or government station.” 

Marcus turned to watch the dashing rider, 
but he was soon out of sight. 

“ Is there likely to be another war, Father? ” 
asked Marcus. “ I hear talk of it, when you 
and your friends are together.” 

“It is not certain yet,” replied Gaius, “but 
it is likely. Rome has had many wars, and 
the Roman armies are well drilled, so that we 
may count upon success if this war is under¬ 
taken.” 

“ I wish I were older,” said Marcus. 

“ You will soon enter the grammar school,” 
replied his father, “ and then your training for 
war will begin. You will learn how to ride, 
run, box and swim, as every Roman boy does, 
for you must be ready to serve your country if 
there is a call to arms.” 



82 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


Marcus’ eyes shone. He was eager to begin 
this training, as was every Roman boy. 

“ See, Mother,” said Livia, “ see all the carts 
loaded with vegetables.” 

“ Yes,” replied Gaia, “ the drivers are taking 
them to the markets in Rome, so that we may 
have fresh vegetables to eat.” 

As the occupants of the carriage looked at 
the loaded carts, a litter was borne swiftly past 
them, carried by eight slaves who ran swiftly, 
keeping perfect step. The cover of the litter 
was richly carved, and the curtains were of 
beautifully embroidered fabrics. 

In spite of all the interesting sights, Livia’s 
head began to nod. But Gaia soon called to 
her, “Wake up, little girl, for we are close to 
the walls of Rome, and now you must walk. 
See, we shall soon be at home again.” 

Livia opened her eyes, for the carriage had 
stopped, and her father was ready to lift her 
out. 



ON THE APPIAN WAY 


83 


They were just outside the walls of Rome, 
and here they must dismount and walk to their 
home, for at that time no one was permitted 
to drive in the streets of the city. 

Gaius’ letter had been received, and every¬ 
thing was in readiness for them. As they re¬ 
clined about the table a little later, Lucius said, 
“ It is nice to go away, but I believe it is even 
nicer to be at home again.” And all the family 
agreed that he was right. 




CHAPTER XIII 


MARCUS ENTERS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 

After their return from the farm, Marcus, 
still attended by Glaucon, entered the grammar 
school. 

This school was quite different from the ele¬ 
mentary. The walls of the room were deco¬ 
rated with marble tablets; busts of authors 
were placed here and there; and lutes, to be 
used in studying music, were hung upon the 
walls. 

When Marcus first entered this school, he 
looked about the beautiful room, and then at 
his book, the first one that he ever had owned. 
It was “ The Odyssey,” a poem of the Trojan 
War, written by the Greek poet, Homer. Mar¬ 
cus’ heart filled with pride, and he determined 
84 


MARCUS ENTERS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 85 


to do his best to win the praise of his new 
master. 

Because of Glaucon’s careful teaching, Mar¬ 
cus could speak the Greek language well. But 
now he would learn to read and write it, 
also. 

In Rome, every boy was expected to be ready 
for the duties of a soldier, so that he could 
serve his country well in time of war. This was 
made a part of the training of the grammar 
school. 

Every day, Tullius and Marcus went to¬ 
gether to the Campus Martius, where they 
were given lessons in riding, wrestling, running, 
leaping, and boxing. They also had lessons in 
swimming, for a Roman soldier never knew 
when he might have to swim a stream that lay 
across the army’s line of march. The river 
Tiber, which flows through Rome, bounded the 
Campus Martius on two sides, and gave the 
boys a fine place for swimming. 



86 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


The Campus itself was a large, level, open 
space between the Tiber and two of the seven 
famous hills of Rome. It was a fine place for 
all kinds of athletic exercises and military 
drills, and it was called the playground of 
Rome. 

The schoolboys enjoyed this part of their 
military training immensely, and groups of citi¬ 
zens often gathered to watch them at their 
exercises. 

“ Oh, I wish I were old enough to drill as 
Marcus does,” sighed Lucius one day. 

u You will learn to be a soldier quite soon 
enough, my son,” said Gaia. “ And, besides, 
you can begin even now to practise being a sol¬ 
dier.” 

“ How can I do that? ” asked Lucius eagerly. 

“ By being brave, and manly, and obedient,” 
said Gaia. “ A soldier, you know, obeys com¬ 
mands instantly. A very small boy can prac¬ 
tise that.” 




MARCUS ENTERS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 87 


“Yes,” replied Lucius, “I will try to do 
that; but I wish I could ride, and swim, and 
run, and wrestle, too.” 

“ Would you like to go to the Campus Mar- 
tius, some day, and watch Marcus and Tullius 
at their exercises and athletic drills?” asked 
Gaius. 

“ Oh, yes, indeed, Father,” cried Lucius 
eagerly. 

“ Very well,” said Gaius, “ I will take you 
with me to see them.” 

Lucius ran to tell Terentia, for this would 
be almost as nice as taking part in the exercises 
themselves. 

“ Oh, Marcus,” he called, when Marcus 
came in to dinner, “ Father has promised to 
take me to the Campus to watch you and Tul¬ 
lius drill.” 

“That will be fine,” said Marcus, “but I 
hope my horse will not throw me when you are 
there, as he did to-day.” 



88 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


“Were you hurt?” asked Lucius. “How 
did it happen? ” 

“ He had not been ridden for a day or two 
and was feeling pretty good, and I was perhaps 
a bit careless in handling the reins. No,” Mar¬ 
cus added, answering the first question last, “ I 
was not hurt, but I had a pretty good shaking, 
which I can feel in my bones yet.” 

“What did the riding master say?” asked 
Lucius, who was as full of questions as boys of 
his age usually are. 

“ Fortunately,” replied Marcus with a laugh, 
“ he did not see the tumble. 

“ I wonder if dinner is ready,” he added. 
“ My shaking up has given me an appetite.” 

“ Father is not here, yet,” said Lucius. 
“ Won’t you tell me a story while we wait for 
him?” 

“ I think,” said Marcus, “ that I have told 
you the story of Romulus, who founded Rome.” 

“Yes,” replied Lucius, “but I want to hear 



MARCUS ENTERS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 89 


it again. I hope,” he added, “ that when I am 
older I can remember the Roman stories as well 
as you do.” 

“ Then this is the first one for you to know,” 
said Marcus, “ so listen well, and I will tell it 
to you very briefly: 

“ Romulus and Remus were twin brothers 
who were born in Italy before there was any 
such city as Rome. But while they were little 
babies they were thrown into the river Tiber 
to be drowned, because the king of the country 
was afraid that when they grew up, they would 
take his throne from him. He knew that he 
had no right to the throne, and that the grand¬ 
father of these boys should have been king in¬ 
stead. 

“ But the boys, who were in a wooden cradle, 
floated ashore instead of drowning, and a she- 
wolf heard them crying. She went to them, 
and because the gods were protecting them, she 
nursed them instead of harming them. 



90 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


“ In this way the boys were kept alive until 
they were found by a shepherd, who took them 
home to his wife. 

“ When they had grown to be men, Romulus 
and Remus helped to restore the throne to their 
grandfather. They then determined to build a 
city upon the spot where they were saved from 
the Tiber, and so they founded the city of 
Rome. In order to decide which one the city 
was to be named after, the brothers each went 
to the top of a hill and waited for some sign 
from the gods. Remus saw a flight of six vul¬ 
tures, but Romulus saw a flight of twelve, so 
the city was named after Romulus, and called 
Rome.” 

“ Ah, here comes father,” exclaimed Lucius, 
as Marcus brought his story to an end. Then 
he added, “ I shall surely try to remember that 
story.” 



CHAPTER XIV; 

THE FESTIVAL OF VIOLETS 

The mild Italian winter passed, spring came, 
and with it the season of violets: beautiful fra¬ 
grant violets which grow so freely in Italy. 

“ Come, little sister, to-day is the festival of 
violets,” cried Terentia as she wakened Livia 
early one morning. 

Livia opened her eyes. She did not know 
just what Terentia meant, but she thought it 
must be something nice, for she loved the vio¬ 
lets, and besides, Terentia looked so eager and 
happy. 

The girls were soon in the atrium, and there 
they found Gaia and her maidens busily at work 
making wreaths from the beautiful flowers. 

Terentia was soon helping, and Livia, too, 
91 


92 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


for she could hand the blossoms to her mother 
as she fashioned them into wreaths. 

When Gaius came in, with Marcus and Lu¬ 
cius following, the morning offering was made 
to Vesta at the family altar, and immediately 
after breakfast the ceremonies of the festival 
began. 

On one side of the atrium of Gaius’ home 
were the cabinets of ancestors. These cabinets 
were of carved and polished wood, the doors 
of which were usually closed. But on the morn¬ 
ing of the festival of violets they were opened, 
and the children stood before them with a feel¬ 
ing of reverence, mingled with curiosity. 

The cabinets held the wax masks or images 
of Gaius’ ancestors. Each mask was fitted over 
a carved bust, so that they were very much like 
the sculptured busts of great men that we see 
in the art stores of to-day, only that the mask 
of wax looked more lifelike than one of stone 
or clay. 



THE FESTIVAL OF VIOLETS 


93 


The family stood before each cabinet as it 
was opened, and Gaius told them of the life 
and deeds of the man before them; of the 
debates that he had led in the Senate, or of the 
brave deeds that he had performed in battle. 

Then one of the members of the family 
crowned the bust with a fragrant wreath of 
violets. 

Many of Gaius’ relatives and friends had 
been invited to the house. Each one was fur¬ 
nished with great bunches of flowers, and after 
the busts had been crowned with violets they all 
set out for the family tomb, which was outside 
the gates of the city, on the Appian Way. 

The Romans had great reverence for their 
dead, but these festivals were looked upon as 
holidays and not as a time of mourning. 

“ Come, let us look inside,” said Marcus to 
Terentia, when they had reached the tomb. 

“ It is beautiful,” said Terentia, stepping in 
and looking about her. 



94 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


The inner walls were tinted in soft colors, 
beautiful lamps were burning, and artistic vases 
were placed about. It looked like a quiet, 
stately room. 

“ See,” said Marcus, “ here are the weapons 
of the general, our uncle,” and he bent to ex¬ 
amine a richly wrought sword. 

“ And, look,” added Terentia, “ at the orna¬ 
ments and combs and mirrors of his wife, our 
aunt. 

“ And, oh,” she added, a moment later, “ I 
suppose these belonged to their little girl,” and 
she turned to a table upon which were arranged 
a doll, a string of beads similar to those Livia 
wore, and several toys. 

Among the weapons, the ornaments, and the 
toys, Marcus and Terentia laid lovingly the 
bunches of fragrant violets which they carried. 
Wreaths had already been hung about the tomb 
by Gaius, Gaia and their friends, and offerings 
of food were placed upon a table. 



THE FESTIVAL OF VIOLETS 


95 


“ Come, children, the feast is ready,” called 
Gaia. 

Outside, the guests were seated upon the 
green grass, and Marcus and Terentia took 
their places near Gaia. Then all were served 
to a supper of bread and wine, vegetables and 
eggs. 

“ Have you had a nice time, Livia?” asked 
Terentia, as they walked home. 

“Oh, yes,” said Livia. “The violets are so 
sweet.” 

“ I liked it better than the Ambarvalia at the 
farm,” said Terentia. 

“ It is nice to have a feast like this,” said 
Marcus, “but I like the Ambarvalia better, 
with its sacrifice of many animals.” 

“ The feast days are all fine,” said Terentia, 
“ but I love the festival of violets best of all.” 



CHAPTER XV 


MARCUS, THE TORCH - BEARER 

“ I have a bit of news for you, Marcus,” 
said Gaia one day as Marcus came in from 
school. “ Our cousin, Lucilla, has chosen you 
to be torch-bearer at her wedding.” 

u Oh,” cried Marcus, “ do you mean that I 
am to carry the white thorn torch? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Gaia. “That is what Lucilla 
wishes.” 

“ There will be a great wedding, I suppose,” 
said Marcus. “ That will be fine.” 

As soon as he could find Tullius the next 
morning, Marcus told him the news. 

“ Oh, how good,” said Tullius. “ What fun 
we will have together, for I have been chosen 
to bear the basket of offerings for the altar.” 

“ Good, indeed! ” exclaimed Marcus. “ The 
96 


MARCUS, THE TORCH - BEARER 97 


wedding is to be a grand one, and we will have 
a great feast, too.” 

The home of Lucilla’s father was a beautiful 
one, and on the day of the wedding it was dec¬ 
orated with flowers, with branches of trees, and 
with woven hangings of rich colors. 

Before sunrise the guests began to arrive. 

Marcus and Lucius were standing beside one 
of the pillars of the atrium when the bride and 
groom entered. 

After them came Tullius with his basket of 
offerings. These were laid upon the family 
altar. The bride and groom sat before it, and 
prayers were made to the Roman gods. 

The ceremony was a very simple one, but the 
feast which followed it lasted for many hours. 
It was not until evening that the guests arose 
from their couches about the table. 

Tullius turned to Marcus. “ Now,” he said, 
“ it is your turn to take part in the ceremonies.” 

A procession was formed by the guests to 



98 


OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


take the bride from her father’s house to the 
house of the groom. First there were torch- 
bearers, and following these were flute players. 
Then, directly in front of the bride, came Mar¬ 
cus, bearing the wedding torch of flaming white 
thorn. 

Lucius was sure that no one of all the guests 
was so honored as Marcus. He felt quite cer¬ 
tain that he would rather be Marcus than the 
groom himself! 

The procession was a merry one, and there 
was music and the sound of happy laughter. 
Crowds of citizens stood along the way, for the 
Romans loved a procession of any sort, and a 
wedding procession was the merriest of all. 

When they reached the home of the groom, 
Lucilla wound bands of woollen cloth about the 
pillars of the doorway, and then the invited 
guests entered the new home. 

A fire had been laid on the hearth, and Mar¬ 
cus handed the white thorn torch to Lucilla, 



MARCUS, THE TORCH - BEARER 99 


who lighted the hearth fire with it. Then turn¬ 
ing, she tossed it, still burning, among the 
guests. 

There was a merry scramble to catch it, as 
there is to-day to catch a flower from the bride’s 
bouquet. 

“ Ah,” cried Tullius. “See! Terentia has 
caught the torch. ’Tis a sign that she will be 
the next bride.” 

There was a bright flush upon Tullius’ cheeks 
as he spoke. To be sure Terentia was but thir¬ 
teen years old, but most Roman girls were mar¬ 
ried at the age of fourteen. 



CHAPTER XVI 


THE CHARIOT RACE 

“ I SAW the horses and the chariots that are 
to take part in the races,” cried Marcus as he 
came in from school. “ They were just coming 
through the gates, into the city, as I was on 
my way to the Campus.” 

Lucius’ eyes shone. “ Oh, I wish I had been 
there! ” he exclaimed. “ But what do you 
think? Father says we are all to go and see 
the races to-morrow.” 

“Did he?” said Marcus, and away he ran 
to see if Terentia had heard the good news. 

The Roman races were held in the circus, 

which was a very large uncovered space, with 

rows of raised seats along the sides. The seats 

held many thousand people, for the Romans 
100 


THE CHARIOT RACE 


101 


were very fond of sports which were dangerous 
and exciting. 

When Gaius and his family took their places, 
the seats were already crowded, and for some 
time the children found plenty to interest them 
in the big assembly of people who were laugh¬ 
ing, talking, and greeting friends. 

After Gaius had spoken to friends who were 
near, he turned to the children. “ You see the 
gates at the upper end of the circus,” he said. 
“ Those close the stalls where the horses and 
their drivers are waiting for the signal to begin 
the race. 

“ Notice, too,” he said, “ the pedestal near 
the stalls. There are seven balls upon its top. 
The chariots will be driven seven times around 
the course, and each time one ball will be taken 
from the pedestal.” 

Suddenly the talking and laughing stopped, 
for the signal for the race had been given. 

The doors of the stalls flew open. Lucius’ 



102 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


eyes shone, for this was the first chariot race 
he ever had seen. He looked eagerly at the 
gay trappings of the prancing horses, at the 
handsome chariots, and at the drivers standing 
erect and holding firmly the reins of the restless 
horses. 

“ How strangely the drivers are dressed/’ he 
Said to Marcus, for he had noticed that each 
man wore a close fitting cap, that leather cords 
bound the short tunic about the body, and that 
the shoulders, hips, and legs were protected 
with heavy leather coverings. 

“ That is to keep them from being too badly 
hurt, if they should happen to be thrown from 
their chariots,” said Marcus. 

Lucius’ eyes opened more widely still, but 
there was no time then for further questions, 
for, at that moment, the starting signal was 
given, and the chariots, each with its four 
horses abreast, began their wild race. 

Many times it seemed as though the wheels 




“THE LAST LAP OP THE RACE WAS BEING DRIVEN 













THE CHARIOT RACE 


103 


of the chariots must lock, or crash together, as 
the horses plunged ahead, and each driver tried 
to secure the shortest turn. 

“ I hope the red will win,” said Marcus, 
watching eagerly the four black horses which 
bore his favorite color. 

Six balls had been taken from the pedestal, 
and the last lap of the race was being driven. 
The black horses were ahead; their driver was 
strong and daring, and with a cry of triumph', 
which was echoed by thousands of the people, 
he crossed the line. The red had won! 

The other horses and chariots were driven 
into their stalls, but the victor, standing very 
erect, drove once more down the length of the 
circus. But he drove slowly this time, and as 
he passed, the people threw flowers and gifts 
into the chariot, until he reached the end of 
the course and passed out through the arch of 
triumph. 

“ That was a fine race,” said Lucius, as the 




104 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


boys made their way through the throng. “ I 
am glad none of the drivers were thrown out.” 

“ Ho,” scoffed a boy who was near them. 
“You are no true Roman. There should have 
been at least one chariot smashed to make it 
really exciting. 

“ Have you never seen a fight of gladia¬ 
tors?” 

“ No,” answered Lucius, “ not yet.” 

“ Well,” replied the boy, “ after you have 
seen a fight between gladiators and wild beasts 
in the arena, you will think a chariot race like 
this a pretty tame affair.” 



CHAPTER XVII 


THE VICTORIOUS GENERAL 

There was excitement in the city of Rome. 
The Senate had decreed that Pompey was to be 
given a magnificent triumph. Though it was 
two years after his great victory which Gaius 
had announced to the boys, he was now about 
to return to the city. 

It was hard for the boys of Rome to go to 
school during the days that followed, and 
harder still for them to give attention to their 
lessons. They listened to every noise outside, 
and when at last the messengers on horseback 
dashed into the city to announce Pompey’s re¬ 
turn, the whole populace of Rome poured into 
the streets, and school and all else was for¬ 
gotten. 

Such a triumphant procession had never be- 
105 


106 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


fore been seen by the boys. It was two days 
in entering the city. 

Marcus and Tullius hastened early in the 
morning to the Arch of Triumph, through 
which a victorious general always passed into 
Rome. 

“ They are coming/’ shouted Marcus, for 
the noise of trumpets, of tramping horses, and 
of clanking armor could already be heard. And 
as the long procession passed through the great 
arch and into the city’s streets, the boys watched 
with increasing wonder and amazement. 

First there came a throng of people from all 
parts of the known world, followed by wagons 
piled with all the trophies of war. Some of 
the wagons were filled full of gold coins, others 
were piled with silver, and still others held the 
armor of the defeated army. 

“What are those?” questioned the boys, as 
still more wagons came into view, loaded with 
strange looking objects. 




“THERE FOLLOWED TROOPS OF CAPTIVES THAT POMPEY 
HAD TAKEN IN HIS BATTLES.” 























































































THE VICTORIOUS GENERAL 


107 


“ Those,” answered a soldier who was stand¬ 
ing near, “ are the beaks of ships which were 
captured and destroyed.” 

“My!” exclaimed Tullius, “there must 
have been a whole fleet captured. Look at the 
wagons still coming! What curious figures 
they had on their ships. I should like to see 
such a fleet on the water.” 

When the wagons had all passed, there fol¬ 
lowed troops of captives that Pompey had 
taken in his battles. Some of these were pi¬ 
rates, some were soldiers, some were seamen, 
while among them were conquered generals 
and even kings, who walked among the cap¬ 
tives in token of their submission to Rome. 

“ Look, look,” exclaimed Marcus, when 
these had passed, for there now appeared a 
monstrous image of the conquered king, who 
had killed himself rather than surrender. The 
image was nearly twelve feet tall, and was 
made of solid gold. 



108 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


Then came figures representing battle scenes, 
with images of the enemies that had been slain, 
and last of all, in a magnificent chariot studded 
with flashing jewels, and attended by his gen¬ 
erals, came Pompey himself. 

It took two days for all this procession to 
pass through the Arch of Triumph, but, tired 
as they were when the first night came, the boys 
were too excited to sleep long, and early on the 
second morning they ran to the Forum, in order 
that they might see the last sights of all this 
wonderful triumph. 

“ I suppose the captives will all be slain,” 
said Marcus, as they reached the Forum. For 
even the boys of Rome were so accustomed to 
violence and bloodshed, that they thought but 
little of having hundreds of captives put to 
death. 

“ No,” answered Tullius, “ Father says that 
Pompey has given orders that, after the cele¬ 
bration, the captives shall be returned to their 




THE VICTORIOUS GENERAL 


109 


homes, but the kings will, of course, be put to 
death.” 

u Of course,” assented Marcus. And then he 
added, “ I am glad the others are to be sent 
back, instead. Father says Pompey has proved 
himself a wise general. My!” he added, 
“what loads and loads there were of gold and 
silver. He must have conquered a rich country, 
and it will add greatly to the strength and glory 
of Rome.” 

“Yes,” added Tullius, “and did you notice 
the throne and couch of the conquered king? 
I am glad we have no king in Rome.” 

“ So am I,” said Marcus. “ I am glad that 
the conspiracy of Catiline was discovered, and 
the traitors put to death.” 

The Forum was crowded with people, but 
the boys managed to find places where they 
could view all the sights of the great celebra¬ 
tion. Glaucon and Aulus accompanied them, 
as usual. 



110 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


“ The place is so full of people that they 
even stand in the Curtian Lake/’ said Marcus 
with a laugh. 

“ What gave that little pool of water its 
name? ” asked Tullius. “ You know all the old 
Roman stories. Can you tell me that?” 

“ Why, yes, indeed,” replied Marcus. “ It 
was named after a Roman warrior, Marcus 
Curtius. A terrible chasm opened in the Forum 
at one time, and the Romans did their best to 
fill it with earth; but the earth disappeared as 
fast as it was thrown in. Then they appealed 
to the gods to help them, and the oracle said 
that the chasm would never close until the dear¬ 
est thing in Rome was thrown into it. After 
that the city would be secure forever. 

“ Then Marcus Curtius came forward, 
dressed in rich armor, and riding the horse 
which had carried him into many successful 
wars. ‘ The warriors of Rome are her dearest 
possession,’ he exclaimed, ‘ and I offer myself 



THE VICTORIOUS GENERAL 


111 


as a sacrifice for the city.’ With that he rode 
his horse into the chasm, and disappeared from 
sight. 

“ The chasm closed, and the little pool which 
was left to mark the spot has been called the 
Curtian Lake ever since.” 

“ Ah, that was fine,” cried Tullius. “ Such 
stories make one proud to be a Roman! ” 

At last the great procession was ended; the 
two captive kings were put to death; sacrifices 
were offered to the gods, and the tired people 
of Rome returned to their homes. 

“ Was there ever so great a triumph in Rome 
before?” Marcus asked his father the next 
morning at breakfast. 

“ Only once,” replied Gaius, “ and that was 
when Scipio conquered Carthage. That tri¬ 
umph lasted three days. Instead of there being 
a golden image of the conquered king, the great 
King Perseus himself walked in the procession, 
dressed all in black, and his children were 



112 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


among the captives, while the quantity of 
golden treasure was almost as great.” 

“ What wonderful conquests Rome has 
made! ” exclaimed Marcus. 

“ Yes,” said his father, “ it well deserves its 
name of ‘ Capital of'The World.’ ” 



CHAPTER XVIII 


MARCUS, THE MAN 

Several years had passed, and Marcus was 
now seventeen years old. His birthday was 
always celebrated by the family, but never as 
it would be this year, for he had reached the 
age at which the boys of Rome put aside boy¬ 
ish affairs and became citizens of the Repub¬ 
lic. 

Marcus could hardly wait for the great day 
to come, for then he would put on, for the first 
time, the toga, the garment which only a citizen 
of Rome might wear: then he would take his 
place among the men of Rome. 

Gaius sent invitations to all the relatives and 
friends, asking them to celebrate the feast with 
him, for he wanted Marcus to be shown as 

much honor as possible. 

113 


114 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


Very early in the morning the ceremonies 
began. After the company had gathered, Mar¬ 
cus took his place before the family altar, and 
laid upon it his boyhood emblems. For the 
first time since he was eight days old, he took 
from his neck the bulla, or locket of gold, which 
his father had placed there when he was named. 
This he laid upon the altar, and beside it he 
placed his white tunic, with its purple stripe, 
which showed him to be of noble birth; and 
Gaius then offered a sacrifice upon the altar. 

The signs which had marked him as a boy 
had been put aside, the sacrifice was ended, and 
Marcus stood with flushed face and sparkling 
eyes, ready to be clothed with the toga, the 
emblem of manhood and citizenship. He drew 
a deep breath, as his father draped its graceful 
folds across his strong, young shoulders. 

Lucius was almost as eager as Marcus, and 
as he looked at the brother whom he admired 
so much, he said to himself, “Marcus is no 




“MARCUS STOOD WITH FLUSHED FACE, AND SPARKLING 
EYES, READY TO BE CLOTHED WITH THE TOGA.” 










MARCUS, THE MAN 


115 


longer a boy; he is a man: a citizen of our 
great Roman Republic.” 

Then Marcus and Gaius, and all the mem¬ 
bers of the family, with the relatives and 
friends, and all the slaves of the household, 
formed in procession. It was a gay and happy 
procession, and a very large one as well. 

They left the home of Gaius and made their 
way through the streets of the city to the great 
Forum. Here Marcus’ name was entered in 
the public records as a citizen of the Republic, 
and then the friends and relatives crowded 
about him and offered him their best wishes, 
while Marcus — feeling very much like a boy, 
yet — smiled and blushed, and was very happy 
indeed. 

But this was not the end of the ceremonies. 
The procession formed in order once more, and 
from the Forum they went up to the temple of 
Liber—from which we get our word “lib¬ 
erty.” The temple was built upon one of the 




116 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


seven famous hills of Rome. Here an offering 
was laid upon the altar, and then the procession 
turned back toward the home of Gaius. 

The day closed with a splendid feast. 

“ How fine Marcus looks in his toga,” said 
Terentia to Lucius, during the feast. 

“ Yes,” answered Lucius, but he said it with 
a sigh, for never before had he envied Marcus 
as he had on this day. 

“ And Tullius looks fine in his toga, too,” 
Lucius added, for Tullius had put on the toga 
of manhood a month before. 

Terentia blushed brightly at Lucius’ speech, 
and Lucius suddenly asked, “ When are you 
and Tullius to be married, Terentia? ” 

“ In another month, little brother,” Terentia 
replied with a happy smile. 

After all the processions, the sacrifices, and 
the feasting of the day were over, the family 
was left alone in the big atrium. Marcus 
looked about him with a heart full of happiness 



MARCUS, THE MAN 


117 


and contentment. Gaius stood near the family 
altar, Gaia sat near him holding Livia in her 
lap, for the little girl was tired after all the 
excitement of the day. Terentia and Lucius 
stood by the fountain. 

“ Only one thing remains,” said Marcus, “ to 
make this the happiest day of my life.” 

Gaius smiled, for he understood what Mar¬ 
cus meant. He spoke to one of the slaves, 
and a moment later Glaucon entered the 
room. 

Then Marcus stood erect, and looking very 
tall and manly, he turned to his faithful peda¬ 
gogue and said: “Glaucon, I have been so 
very happy to-day, that I want to give a lasting 
happiness to some one else. My father has 
granted my wish, and shares it. To-morrow 
prepare yourself to go with us to the Forum, 
and there you shall receive what you well de¬ 
serve to have — the gift of freedom.” 

It was several moments before Glaucon could 



118 OUR LITTLE ROMAN COUSIN 


trust himself to speak. Then he said, with 
grave dignity, “ The gift shows the heart of 
Marcus — a citizen of whom Rome may well 
be proud.” 


THE END. 




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great west. The stories of these border heroes are graphic¬ 
ally presented, and their desperate battles with Indians, 
border desperadoes, and wild beasts are splendidly told. 



L. C. PAGE &• COMPANY’S 


BEAUTIFUL JOE’S PARADISE; Or, The Island 
of Brotherly Love. A Sequel to “ Beautiful Joe.” 
By Marshall Saunders, author of “ Beautiful Joe.” 
One vol., library 12mo, cloth illustrated . . $1.50 

“ This book revives the spirit of ‘ Beautiful Joe ’ capb 
tally. It is fairly riotous with fun, and is about as unusual 
as anything in the animal book line that has seen the 
light.” — Philadelphia Item. 

’TILDA JANE. By Marshall Saunders. 

One vol., 12mo, fully illustrated, cloth decorative, $1.50 
“ I cannot think of any better book for children than 
this. I commend it unreservedly.” — Cyrus T. Brady. 
’TILDA JANE’S ORPHANS. A sequel to “ ’Tilda 
Jane.” By Marshall Saunders. 

One vol., 12mo, fully illustrated, cloth decorative, $1.50 
’Tilda Jane is the same original, delightful girl, and as 
fond of her animal pets as ever. 

’TILDA JANE IN CALIFORNIA. A Sequel to 
“ ’Tilda Jane,” and “ ’Tilda Jane’s Orphans.” By 
Marshall Saunders. 

One vol., 12mo, fully illustrated, cloth decorative, $1.50 
The scene of the story is sunny California, where the 
heroine, ’Tilda Jane, an Eastern girl of high resolves and 
warm impulses, goes on a long visit to distant relatives. 
Many of the other beloved characters in the previous 
“ ’Tilda Jane ” books are introduced in this story. 

THE STORY OF THE GRAVELYS. By 

Marshall Saunders, author of “ Beautiful Joe’s 
Paradise,” “ ’Tilda Jane,” etc. 

Library 12mo, cloth decorative. Illustrated by E. B. 

Barry.$1.50 

Here we have the haps and mishaps, the trials and 
triumphs, of a delightful New England family. 

BORN TO THE BLUE. By Florence Kimball 
Russel. 

12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . . . $1.25 

The atmosphere of army life on the plains breathes on 
every page of this delightful tale. The boy is the son of a 
captain of U. S. cavalry stationed at a frontier post in the 
days when our regulars earned the gratitude of a nation. 
6 




Z. C. PAGE &> COMPANY'S 


IN WEST POINT GRAY 

By Florence Kimball Russel. 

12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . . . $1.50 

“ Singularly enough one of the best books of the year 
for boys is written by a woman and deals with life at West 
Point. The presentment of life in the famous military 
academy whence so many heroes have graduated is realistic 
and enjoyable .”—New York Sun. 

THE SANDMAN: HIS FARM STORIES 

By William J. Hopkins. With fifty illustrations by 
Ada Clendenin Williamson. 

Large 12mo, decorative cover . . . . $1.50 

“ An amusing, original book, written for the benefit of 
very small children. It should be one of the most popular 
of the year’s books for reading to small children.” — 
Buffalo Express. 

THE SANDMAN: MORE FARM STORIES 

By William J. Hopkins. 

Large 12mo, decorative cover, fully illustrated $1.50 
Mr. Hopkins’s first, essay at bedtime stories met with 
such approval that this second book of “ Sandman ” tales 
was issued for scores of eager children. Life on the farm, 
and out-of-doors, is portrayed in his inimitable manner. 

THE SANDMAN: HIS SHIP STORIES 

By William J. Hopkins, author of “ The Sandman: 
His Farm Stories,” etc. 

Large 12mo, decorative cover, fully illustrated $1.50 
“ Children call for these stories over and over again.” — 
Chicago Evening Post. 

THE SANDMAN: HIS SEA STORIES 

By William J. Hopkins. 

Large 12mo, decorative cover, fully illustrated $1.50 
Each year adds to the popularity of this unique series 
of stories to be read to the little ones at bed time and at 
other times. 

•1 



L. C. PAGE & COMPANY'S 


THE DOCTOR’S LITTLE GIRL 

By Marion Ames Taggart. 

One vol., library 12mo, illustrated . . . $1.50 

A thoroughly enjoyable tale of a little girl and her com¬ 
rade father, written in a delightful vein of sympathetic 
comprehension of the child’s point of view. 

“ The characters are strongly drawn with a life-like real¬ 
ism, the incidents are well and progressively sequenced, 
and the action is so well timed that the interest never 
slackens.” — Boston Ideas. 

SWEET NANCY 

The Further Adventures of the Doctor’s Little 
Girl. By Marion Ames Taggart. 

One vol., library 12mo, illustrated . . . $1.50 

In the new book, the author tells how Nancy becomes 
in fact “ the doctor’s assistant,” and continues to shed 
happiness around her. 

NANCY, THE DOCTOR’S LITTLE PART¬ 
NER 

By Marion Ames Taggart. 

One vol., library 12mo, illustrated . . . $1.50 

In Nancy Porter, Miss Taggart has created one of the 
most lovable child characters in recent years. In the 
new story she is the same bright and cheerful little maid. 

NANCY PORTER’S OPPORTUNITY 

By Marion Ames Taggart. 

One vol., library 12mo, illustrated . . . $1.50 

Already as the “ doctor’s partner ” Nancy Porter has 
won the affection of her readers, and in the same lovable 
manner she continues in the new book to press the key¬ 
notes of optimism and good-will. 

ALMA AT HADLEY HALL 

By Louise Breitenbach. 

One vol., 12mo, illustrated.$1.50 

“ This delightful tale of boarding-school life is one that 
cannot fail to appeal to the lover of good things in girls’ 
books. It will take rank for its naturalness and truth.” 
— Portland Press . 

8 



BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


GABRIEL AND THE HOUR BOOK 

By Evaleen Stein. 

Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and deco¬ 
rated in colors by Adelaide Everhart . . . $1.00 

Gabriel was a loving, patient, little French lad, who 
assisted the monks in the long ago days, when all the books 
were written and illuminated by hand, in the monasteries. 

“No works in juvenile fiction contain so many of the 
elements that stir the hearts of children and grown-ups as 
well as do the stories so admirably told by this author.” 
— Louisville Daily Courier. 

A LITTLE SHEPHERD OF PROVENCE 

By Evaleen Stein. 

Cloth, 12mo, illustrated by Diantha H. Marlowe $1.25 
“ The story should be one of the influences in the life 
of every child to whom good stories can be made to 
appeal.” — Public Ledger. 

THE LITTLE COUNT OF NORMANDY 

By Evaleen Stein. 

Cloth, 12mo, illustrated by John Goss . . $1.25 

“ This touching and pleasing story is told with a wealth 
of interest coupled with enlivening descriptions of the 
country where its scenes are laid and of the people there¬ 
of.” — Wilmington Every Evening. 

ALYS-ALL-ALONE 

By Una Macdonald. 

Cloth, 12mo, illustrated.$1.50 

“ This is a most delightful, well-written, heart-stirring, 
happy ending story, which will gladden the heart of many 
a reader.” — Scranton Times. 

ALYS IN HAPPYLAND. A Sequel to “ Alys-All 

Alone.” By Una Macdonald. 

Cloth, 12mo, illustrated . . • • • $1.50 

“ The book is written with that taste and charm that 
prepare younger readers for the appreciation of good litera¬ 
ture when they are older.” —j Chicago Tribune . 

9 



Z. C. PAGE & COMPANY’S 


THE RED FEATHERS. By G. E. T. Roberts. 
Cloth decorative, illustrated . . . $1.50 

“ The Red Feathers ” tells of the remarkable adventures 
of an Indian boy who lived in the Stone Age, many years 
ago, when the world was young. 

FLYING PLOVER. By G. E. Theodore Roberts. 
Cloth decorative. Illustrated by Charles Livingston 

Bull .$1.00 

Squat-By-The-Fire is a very old and wise Indian who 
lives alone with her grandson, “ Flying Plover,” to whom 
she tells the stories each evening. 

COMRADES OF THE TRAILS. By G. E. 

Theodore Roberts. 

Cloth decorative. Illustrated by Charles Livingston 

Bull.$1.50 

The story of a fearless young English lad, Dick Ramsey, 
who, after the death of his father, crosses the seas and 
takes up the life of a hunter in the Canadian forests. 

MARCHING WITH MORGAN. How Donald 
Lovell Became a Soldier of the Revolution. 

By John V. Lane. 

Cloth decorative, illustrated . . . . $1.50 

This is a splendid boy’s story of the expedition of 
Montgomery and Arnold against Quebec. 

RODNEY, THE RANGER Or, With Daniel 
Morgan on Trail and Battlefield. By John V. 
Lane. 

Cloth decorative, illustrated . . . . $1.50 

Young Rodney Allison, although but fifteen years of 

age, played a man’s part in the troublous times pre¬ 
ceding the American Revolution and in the War itself. 

CHINESE PLAYMATES 

By Norman H. Pitman. 

Small cloth 12mo, illustrated . . . $1.00 

A worth-while, happy little story about two little 
Chinese boys, Lo-Lo and Ta-Ta, and the strange fortunes 
that befell them when they wandered from home. 

10 





BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


THE YOUNG SECTION-HAND; Or, The Ad¬ 
ventures of Allan West. By Burton E. Stevenson. 
Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . . $1.50 

Mr. Stevenson’s hero is a manly lad of sixteen, who is 
given a chance as a section-hand on a big Western rail¬ 
road, and whose experiences are as real as they are thrilling. 

THE YOUNG TRAIN DISPATCHER. By Bur¬ 
ton E. Stevenson. 

Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . . $1.50 

“ A better book for boys has never left an American 
press.” — Springfield Union . 

THE YOUNG TRAIN MASTER. By Burton E. 

Stevenson. 

Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . $1.50 

“ Nothing better in the way of a book of adventure for 
boys in which the actualities of life are set forth in a practi¬ 
cal way could be devised or written.”— Boston Herald . 

CAPTAIN JACK LORIMER. By Winn Standish. 

Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . $1.50 

Jack is a fine example of the all-around American high- 
school boy. 

JACK LORIMER’S CHAMPIONS; Or, Sports 

on Land and Lake. By Winn Standish. 

Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . $1.50 

“ It is exactly the sort of book to give a boy interested 
in athletics, for it shows him what it means to always 
‘ play fair.’ ” — Chicago Tribune . 

JACK LORIMER’S HOLIDAYS; Or, Millvale 
High in Camp. By Winn Standish. 

Illustrated.$1.50 

Full of just the kind of fun, sports and adventure to 
excite the healthy minded youngster to emulation. 

JACK LORIMER’S SUBSTITUTE; Or, The Act¬ 
ing Captain of the Team. By Winn Standish. 

Illustrated.$1.50 

On the sporting side, this book takes up football, wres¬ 
tling, tobogganing, but it is more of a school story perhaps 
than any of its predecessors. 

11 



L. C. PAGE dr 3 COMPANY’S 


THE LITTLE COUSIN SERIES 

(Trade Mark) 

Each one vol., 12mo, decorative cover, cloth, with full- 
page illustrations in color. Price per volume . SO.60 
By MARYHAZELTON WADE unless otherwise indicated 


Our Little African Cousin Our Little Hindu Cousin 
Our Little Alaskan Cousin By Blanche McManus 

By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet Our Little Hungarian Cousin 
Our Little Arabian Cousin By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
By Blanche McManus Our Little Indian Cousin 
Our Little Argentine Cousin Our Little Irish Cousin 
By Eva Cannon Brooks Our Little Italian Cousin 
Our Little Armenian Cousin Our Little Japanese Cousin 
Our Little Australian Cousin Our Little Jewish Cousin 
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet Our Little Korean Cousin 
Our Little Belgian Cousin By H. Lee M. Pike 

By Blanche McManus Our Little Malayan (Brown) 
Oui Little Bohemian Cousin Cousin 

By Clara V. Winlow Our Little Mexican Cousin 
Our Little Brazilian Cousin By Edward C. Butler 

By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
Our Little Canadian Cousin Our Little Panama Cousin 
By Elizabeth R. Macdonald By H. Lee M. Pike 

Our Little Chinese Cousin Our Little Persian Cousin 
By Isaac Taylor Headland By E. C. Shedd 

Our Little Cuban Cousin Our Little Philippine Cousin 
Our Little Danish Cousin Our Little Polish Cousin 

By Luna May Innes By Florence E. Mendel 
Our Little Dutch Cousin Our Little Porto Rican Cousin 

By Blanche McManus Our Little Portuguese Cousin 
Our Little Egyptian Cousin By Edith A. Sawyer 

By Blanche McManus Our Little Russian Cousin 
Our Little English Cousin Our Little Scotch Cousin 

By Blanche McManus By Blanche McManus 
Our Little Eskimo Cousin Our Little Siamese Cousin 

Our Little French Cousin Our Little Spanish Cousin 

By Blanche McManus By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
Our Little German Cousin Our Little Swedish Cousin 
Our Little Grecian Cousin By Claire M. Coburn 

By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet Our Little Swiss Cousin 
Our Little Hawaiian Cousin Our Little Turkish Cousin 


12 


i 








APR 19 1913 










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